Santa Cruz Chameleon R Review - BikeRadar

We're not sure if the Santa Cruz Chameleon was the original hardcore hardtail, but it's certainly been around longer than most. Conceived as a versatile all-rounder capable of taking on anything from dirt jumps to all-day cross-country epics, you can buy a range of component builds to suit your needs. We plumped for the trail-ready R build with all-mountain upgrades.

Frame

If you're setting out to build a frame capable of taking on literally anything, you'd better be clear about the upper limits of strength and durability you're going to need, because if you don't, one of your customers surely will. It's testament to the Chameleon's sound design that it's still around after all these years, and still sought after by riders of all persuasions.
It's no surprise then, that strength and rigidity are key themes that define the Chameleon's design from stem to stern. The chunky down tube provides the frame's backbone, flaring to oval at the head tube where it's buttressed by
two massive gussets. Reassuring to know that if you stuff a Chameleon into the tree, the fork and front wheel are likely to give up the ghost before the frame. The comparatively slender top and seat tubes are the only 'standard' touches - at the rear, massive wishbone chainstays and seatstays plug into a pair of equally huge dropouts. Mud clearance is fine, even with the wide 2.35in tyres fitted to our test bike.

Subtle it ain't, but stiff and strong it undoubtedly is. The strength-at-all-costs theme is emphasised by the rear-facing dropouts, which make wheel removal and insertion fiddly but add to the Chameleon's ability to take abuse in its stride. As a bonus, replaceable bolt-on dropout inserts enable an easy conversion from geared to singlespeed, if you're that way inclined. And the whole lot is lighter than you'd expect too.

Holding up the front and preventing the rider's fillings from being rattled loose by all this uncompromising rigidity is a RockShox Revelation Dual Air fork. With a smooth 130mm (5in) of travel and adjustable compression and rebound
damping - plus lockout - it's all the fork most riders will ever need.

Equipment

Most of our test bike's kit was mid-range trail-riding componentry: Shimano LX and XT transmission, RaceFace bits and Avid Juicy Five disc brakes. Our 'all mountain' upgrade package - which is a free build option - adds tougher rims, chunky 2.35in tyres with thicker, less puncture-prone tubes, an oversized handlebar and stem and a 185mm front disc rotor, among other things. It all comes with a small weight penalty but a big increase in burly practicality. You could build this bike lighter - in fact, the standard build probably would save a pound or two - but for heavy or hard-hitting riders, this set-up makes perfect sense.

Because the Chameleon is built with a range of uses in mind, you may find you need a larger size than you expect. Our large test bike would rate a medium for trail riding duties. If you're in doubt, ask - or try - before you buy.

Ride

Our trail-ready build felt right at home for riders used to a diet of cross-country race machines, with a comfortably stretched top tube and perfect front-to-rear weight distribution. There are no nasty geometry surprises, and the overall feel is of a well-balanced and easy-going trail companion.
Stomp on the pedals and the rigid frame transfers your effort into instant forward progress. For a bike built more with strength than gram-shaving in mind, the Chameleon is a surprisingly eager climber. Long drags are helped by the comfy ride position, while steep grunts and technical sections are chewed up and spat out by the forgiving tyres and twist-free chassis. Which is nice. But it gets better. Point the Chameleon downhill, put the boot in and it comes alive. The smooth fork, tough frame and comfy tyres make short work of everything from stitched-together sections of fast, winding singletrack to baby-head rock gardens and rooty drop-offs.
Neither as twitchy as the Whyte 19 Trail nor as uncompromisingly rigid as the Orange Sub Zero S, this is a bike to put a big grin on the face of any rider who enjoys his or her trails fast and challenging. It may not be subtle, but it's as versatile as the name suggests.

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