Santa Cruz Chameleon - Updated (Page 2)

jf22901

Here's my Santa Cruz Chameleon that I've had since 2007. It's a great trail bike, and would only be better if the brakes didn't have the dreaded 'turkey gobble'





For those interested, the various parts are:

Frame: Large, White
Fork: Rock Shox Revelation 426
Drivetrain: SRAM X0, XTR f/mech, Truvativ Stylo Team chainset
Brakes: Avid Juicy 7, 160mm rotors
Stem: Thomson Elite
Bars: Race Face Next low riser
Grips: WTB Trail
Seatpost: Thomson Elite
Saddle: WTB Rocket V Stealth Ti
Headset: Hope
Wheelset: Hope Pro 2 hubs, DT Swiss XR 4.2D
Tyres: Kenda Nevegal Stick-E 2.1
Pedals: DMR V12

MacAndCheese

Buying a Chameleon is still on my life's 'to do list'. They are superb and that one looks great in white.

specialeyes

MacAndCheese wrote:

Buying a Chameleon is still on my life's 'to do list'. They are superb and that one looks great in white.

I'll second that and a Heckler too!

scottbowlby

Looks fantastic mate!

bobpzero

turkey squak disc brake pads/rotors maybe try this SRAM team mechanic Phillipp Martin shows you how to check and clean your brakes before a race or a big ride. im guessing by "industrial alcohol" he means Isopropyl Alcohol.

sweet ride. rs rev fork is greatness.

jf22901

MacAndCheese wrote:

Buying a Chameleon is still on my life's 'to do list'. They are superb and that one looks great in white.

Yes, I've always liked white bikes, but too much white (i.e. white rims, bars, seat, fork etc.) can be overkill in my opinion. That's why I decided to stick to black/grey for everything else (the fork was meant to be black, but it arrived grey and I couldn't be bothered changing it!). The Chameleon really is a versatile bike, and I'm sure you'll love it if you ever get one,

bobpzero wrote:

turkey squak disc brake pads/rotors maybe try this SRAM team mechanic Phillipp Martin shows you how to check and clean your brakes before a race or a big ride. im guessing by "industrial alcohol" he means Isopropyl Alcohol.

sweet ride. rs rev fork is greatness.

Thanks for that - I'll have to give it a go and see if it works. The noise doesn't affect the brake's performance, but it is annoying! And yes, the Revelation fork is fantastic. It's 3 years old now, and still works fine, but I'm trying to resist temptation to upgrade to the newer Revelation. Help!

Penylope

Nice bike mate 8)

Loved mine, the (second ) best bike i've ever ridden! Was going to respray mine white to match my Heckler when i can be bothered, white bikes FTW!

jf22901

[tart] A couple of modifications... [/tart]

hoochylala

jf22901 wrote:

Yes, I've always liked white bikes, but too much white (i.e. white rims, bars, seat, fork etc.) can be overkill in my opinion. That's why I decided to stick to black/grey for everything else (the fork was meant to be black, but it arrived grey and I couldn't be bothered changing it!).

Well that didn't last long! Looks even better now imo. When you you doing the bars and forks then?

jf22901

hoochylala wrote:

Well that didn't last long! Looks even better now imo. When you you doing the bars and forks then?

Ha ha! I know, I know. I always thought too much white would be overkill, but after seeing a bike with white seat, rims etc. when I was out riding the other day, I changed my mind. :roll:

I think I will leave the bars black. As for the fork, I think I would like a white one, but I can't decide! What does everyone else think? Will a white fork look good, or will it tip it over the edge into a tat 1970s Stormtrooper bike? :shock:

Frodo1095

Go with the white fork, I think it will work, the grey atm seems a little misplaced and black would be to prominent, but a white fork would just fit in with the whole bike.

Just my opinion though

jf22901

Well, I bit the bullet and ordered some new 2010 Revelations, seeing as how they were reduced to £419. I can't wait!

vengeance111

I had that turkey noise on my brakes, in the end i just replaced the pads with some different ones and it was fixed
its probably because youve got your brakes contaminated

jf22901

Well, it's arrived, and looks great! Just need to fit it now!

joshtp

ooooohhh! shiny... ME WANT!

podgeorge

That will look fantastic!
What travel are those revelations.....140 or 150??
Also whats your impressions of your 2 Minions?? Are u running a front on the back??
Cheers

jf22901

podgeorge wrote:

What travel are those revelations.....140 or 150??
Also whats your impressions of your 2 Minions?? Are u running a front on the back??
Cheers

They are set at 150mm, but they come with two 20mm spacers. The one that is on at the moment is 130mm, so I think I'll just set it at that.

As for the Minions, they are great! They are grippier than the Nevagals, but at the same time seem to be faster rolling as well. One thing I have noticed is that they are much grippier when cornering, which helps with the confidence. They've only been used in the dry so far though, so I don't know how they'll cope in the mud.

I'm not running the front on the back - I'm using a Maxxpro 60 rear and a super tacky front. Seems to be working well so far.

jf22901

All I need to change now is the chainset and frame, and I've got a whole new bike. :shock:

jf22901

I've noticed that all the websites say the Revelations can be 130/140/150mm, but on the actual box it says they go from 120mm - 150mm. Just thought I'd let you all know that little fact!

Also, two spacers are supplied with the forks, but they measure 20mm in length each, which would mean putting both in would reduce the travel to 110mm, which is not in the stated range. Why not supply a 20mm and 10mm spacer, to actually allow the buyer to have 150, 140 or 130mm travel, as advertised? Ah well!

mr joey

very nice bike mate!!

jf22901

mr joey wrote:

very nice bike mate!!

Thanks! And I know I shouldn't have, but I saw these the other day and couldn't stop myself:





Now, white or black pedals...?

jf22901

Well, I've finally got the parts fitted, and here is the finished bike. Spot the component that's on upside down!

Shorty12

Looks really nice. How you finding the revelations?

jf22901

Shorty12 wrote:

Looks really nice. How you finding the revelations?

They are excellent! They seem to handle the small bumps a lot better than the old ones, and are lighter to boot. I haven't fiddled with them all that much yet though, so the performance may improve even more!

I decided to try them at 150mm (old ones were 130mm) and I really like it. The bike seems more nimble and easier to control, and I can't say it is any worse going up hills. So, they are staying at 150mm!

Frodo1095

I think you need to go with black pedals for a contrast.

jf22901

Frodo1095 wrote:

I think you need to go with black pedals for a contrast.

They will probably be black in a couple of weeks once the paint chips off!

I do actually have a black pair of pedals in a cupboard. I got them cheap a while ago. I'll see how the white ones go for now, and may decide to swap later.

mackie1

I like this a lot. There's just something about long travel hard tails.

What rims are those?

jf22901

mackie1 wrote:

What rims are those?

They are Spank Subrosa rims, which come in all sorts of colours (see http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=29329). So far they are proving to be great rims. Quite light and definitely strong and sturdy.

brewcrew

wow thats really nice. i love my chameleon

your headset spacer is upside down

jf22901

brewcrew wrote:

your headset spacer is upside down

Correct! I can't be bothered changing it at the minute though, so it'll have to wait.

Was out for a ride again last night, and the new Revelation really is superb. It's made a good bike into a great bike. Can't be on with riding in this hot and sunny weather though. Bring back the clouds!