Name: Santa Cruz Chameleon
Brand: Santa Cruz
Availability: InStock
Rating: 90 (7 reviews)

90/100

BikeRide Score

Users (1 rating)

100

Experts (6 reviews)

Where to buy

$1,979.97 Gravity Coalition See it $2,080.00 eBay See it $2,099.00 evo See it $2,099.99 Mike's Bikes See it

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Facts

Gender

Men, Women

Type

Bikepacking, Cross Country, Mountain, Trail, Non-Electric

Release Year

Brand

Wheel Size

Number of Gears

Gearing Type

Weight

28.27, 28.82, 29.62, 26.01, 28 lb

Suspension

Front

Brake Type

Disc: Hydraulic

Frame Material

Aluminum, Carbon Fiber

Summary of Reviews

We have read all expert and user reviews on the Santa Cruz Chameleon. In summary, this is what cyclists think.

11 reasons to buy

The Chameleon demonstrates agile, reptilian handling capabilities.

For some lower-end models, experts saw value-for-money as ‘solid’.

Generally, climbing ability impressed. One expert deemed it ‘stellar’.

The bike can be run geared, singlespeed and with two chainstay lengths.

It can also be shod with 27.5” tires (up to 2.6”) or 29” (up to 2.6”).

Reportedly, this steed performs savagely on descents.

Testers found the Chameleon to be at home at high speeds.

SRAM Level T brakes offered adequate stopping power.

Bikepackers were satisfied with cargo-carrier mounts under the down-tube.

Weight on carbon versions was described as ‘fairly light’.

On higher-end models, Race Face Aeffect dropper-posts were lauded.

10 reasons not to buy

It was common to hear that higher-end models seemed massively overpriced.

For some, steep geometry felt less confident in rapid descents.

The short rear-end felt jarring on rocky terrain.

An expert loathed the less-aggressive, XC-focused Maxxis Ardent rear tire.

On lower-end models, the lack of a dropper-post was a detractor.

The Fox 34 shock underwhelmed, as a difficult-to-tune base-model.

SRAM Guide brakes lacked power and needed bleeding early on.

Some riders would have liked clearance for a 29” x 2.6” tire, or larger.

One tester found climbing difficult on an R1, due to a ‘wandering front end’.

The Chameleon lacks a downtube bottle-mount.

Bottom line

The Chameleon has been around since 1997, in one guise or another. In its 8th and most recent edition, we see a bike equipped for singletrack, jumping, cross-country and now bikepacking. Innovative rear dropouts allow owners to easily choose from two chainstay lengths. In addition, the bike can be set up as a singlespeed and run with either 29” or 27.5” tires. Plus-size 27.5”s offered increased comfort at lower pressures. In general, reviewers could not overstate the Chameleon’s fun-factor. Unfortunately, when it came to higher-end models, it became clear that the Santa Cruz name demanded eye-wateringly high prices.

Expert Reviews

80/100 based on 6 rated expert reviews

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Dusty Betty

Level 1 expert