It confidently blends into almost any environment and rarely looks out of place. And no, we aren’t talking about the reptile. The Santa Cruz Chameleon’s versatility and confidence to shred trails of all types leaves little doubt where it gets its name from – read our full breakdown below.
Pros
- Slack, modern geometry
- Confident on descents
- Sharp, snappy handling
- Strong climber
- Versatile
- Adjustable thanks to interchangeable dropouts
Cons
- Brakes feel a bit underpowered
- On the heavier side for a premium hardtail
- Component kit is good but not great
Bike specs
Model reviewed: D 29 | Aluminum
Frame
Aluminum frame
Geometry
(For size large frame with 29 inch wheels)
| Spec | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Reach | 465mm |
| Chainstay | 425mm to 437mm |
| Head tube angle | 65° |
| Seat tube angle | 74.4° |
| Wheelbase | 1207.8mm |
| Bottom bracket height | 315mm |
| Bottom bracket drop | 40mm to 56mm |
| Standover height | 686mm |
Suspension
Front fork
RockShox Recon RL, 130mm
Brakes
SRAM Level
Front rotor: Avid Centerline 180mm
Rear rotor: Avid Centerline 180mm
Tires
Front tire
Maxxis Minion DHF 29″x2.5″WT, 3C MaxxGrip, EXO, TR
Rear tire
Maxxis Aggressor 29″x2.5″WT, EXO, TR
Drivetrain
Shifters: SRAM NX Eagle, 12spd
Rear derailleur: SRAM SX Eagle, 12spd
Cassette: SRAM PG1230, 12spd, 11-50t
Chain: SRAM SX Eagle, 12spd
Seatpost
SDG Tellie Dropper
Bike weight
31 lbs
Handling and overall bike impression
Santa Cruz’s latest Chameleon model continues its tradition of aggressive hardtails that can be ridden hard, are versatile and put a premium on fun.
The Chameleon’s geometry has been modernized with a slacker head tube angle of 65°, decreasing from a previous head angle of 67.3°. The extra slackness in the head tube angle helps to give the bike a better feel on steep descents, and keeps your front wheel more out in front of you even on the steepest downhills.
This is a confidence booster on steep trails by making them feel less steep.
The bike’s seat tube angle has been steepened slightly to 74.4°, up from a previous 72.8°. This helps to get your weight more forward in the saddle compared to previous Chameleon models and gives the bike a solid, balanced geometry.
Not only does this help with climbing from a seated position, but also keeps your body position slightly forward in what we feel is a better attack position.
The Chameleon’s relatively short chainstay length of 425mm (which goes up to 437mm with the adjustable dropouts) helps to keep the bike feeling playful and snappy around tight corners and through a variety of terrain, and even helps to make it maneuverable in the air.
As an aggressive hardtail, the Chameleon is quite a versatile bike that it can hold its own in lots of different scenarios, whether that be on climbs, descents, on a jump line or pump track. The ride quality is top notch and the Santa Cruz Chameleon rarely feels out of place anywhere you take it.
The Chameleon’s fork, a RockShox Recon RL with 130mm of travel, is solid and does a good job smoothing out the ride and keeping things feeling smooth even when the trails aren’t. At this bike’s price point some riders would expect a higher end fork, but we didn’t find the fork detracted from the bike at all.
The Chameleon a hardtail meaning it doesn’t have rear suspension so it won’t give you the same level of forgiveness as a full suspension bike does.
The Santa Cruz Chameleon comes standard with excellent tires, with the knobby 2.5″ Maxxis Minion DHF in the front and 2.5″ Maxxis Aggressor in the rear. This gives the bike excellent traction from the first ride and definitely inspires confidence whether you’re riding steep descents or in damp or slippery conditions.
The SRAM drivetrain on the Chameleon keeps shifting smooth, and while at this price point we’d prefer to have Shimano Deore, the drivetrain is adequate and doesn’t noticeably detract from the ride quality.
Adjustable dropouts
Versatility and blending seamlessly into different environments is what makes a Chameleon a Chameleon, and this holds true for the mountain bike as much as it does its namesake reptile.
The adjustable drop outs found on the Santa Cruz Chameleon definitely add to the bike’s versatility. It can be a great trail shredder that can handle jumps, drops and whatever else you decide to throw at it on your local trails with a shorter chainstay of 425mm.
The adjustable drop outs also allow you the ability to change out the 29″ rear wheel for a smaller rear wheel, turning the bike into a mullet bike (meaning a bike with a smaller rear wheel than front wheel). Some riders prefer mullet bikes for trail riding because they find them to be more agile having a smaller rear wheel.
Because of its adjustability the Santa Cruz Chameleon is also a great option for bikepacking, a type of mountain biking where you go on long distance and overnight adventures and pack your gear to your bike. With the ability to extend the chainstay length you will have more room to load up the Chameleon with all your gear, and its just as easy to change it back for some precision trail riding.
Beyond bikepacking or turning the Chameleon into a mullet bike, just having that adjustability is great because you can experiment with what setup works best for you and the riding you’re doing. Want extra stability for some high speed descents? The adjustable dropouts make it easy to extend the rear of the bike making it more stable, or tuck the rear in tightly to make it a tight cornering machine.
If you’re one of those mountain bikers who likes to tinker with their set up, the Santa Cruz Chameleon will be a fantastic bike for you.
Climbing
We found the Santa Cruz Chameleon to be a very strong climber and this was definitely one of the areas the bike stands out.
The steeper seat tube angle compared to previous Chameleon models helps to get your weight more forward while seated making seated climbs much more doable and setting you up for success. Having a dropper post also helps on climbs so you can get your seat nice and high to get more leverage over your pedals.
Because the Chameleon does not have rear suspension you will not have any issues with pedal bob like a full suspension bike would.
The knobby Maxxis tires help you to maintain traction even on the steepest climbs and do a good job at preventing you from spinning your wheels.
One downside the bike has on climbs is its weight. While its not as heavy as bikes with rear suspension, it still is a bit on the hefty side for a hardtail, which can tire you out a bit on longer climbs or trails with lots of uphill sections.
Descending
Riding the Chameleon downhill allows you to appreciate the joys of this aggressive hardtail. The slack head angle of 65° keeps you back behind the front wheel and helps to boost your confidence on even the steepest descents, effectively making them feel less steep.
The knobby tires, especially the Maxxis Minion up front helps to keep your traction in check even on high speed corners.
When tackling rough terrain on downhill sections, the Chameleon holds its own and keeps things smoother than you might expect a hardtail to. This is helped by the fact that we tested a model with 29 inch wheels, allowing the bike to roll over obstacles more easily.
If you want to use the Chameleon at bike parks and for more dedicated, high speed downhill riding, you may consider lengthening the chainstay using the adjustable dropouts, which gives a boost to the bike’s stability.
Rough terrain, jumps and drops
Rough terrain
When the going gets rough, the Chameleon holds up. The 130mm RockShox Recon RL does a good job at keeping things feeling relatively plush and smooth even over rough terrain.
Obviously, with no rear suspension, the Chameleon won’t feel as smooth over the rough stuff as full suspension bikes, and you may need to be a little more careful when picking lines through rough terrain at high speeds.
That doesn’t make the Chameleon any less fun to ride, and in fact many riders prefer an aggressive hardtail to embrace the challenge of picking optimal lines.
Jumps and drops
When riding off features like jumps and drops, the Santa Cruz Chameleon shines. Its playfulness is on full display while airborne and its easy to throw around for some style when you catch air off a jump.
Since the Chameleon has no rear suspension, it simplifies the take off when jumping. You’ll want to still pump into the face of the jump, but there you won’t need to worry about compressing a rear shock or getting the rebound settings right like those jumping on full suspension bikes do.
The 130mm of travel in the front of the bike does help to add some forgiveness if you end up slamming the front of the bike down too hard on landings, but with no rear suspension, you’ll want to be careful to make sure you fly far enough in the air to avoid casing jumps (meaning landing with your rear wheel not fully clearing the transition/landing ramp).
If you don’t fully clear a jump and end up landing hard on your rear wheel, the Chameleon will definitely let you know, much more so than a bike with a rear shock would.
Overall, the Chameleon is a great bike to improve your jumping on, but just keep in mind it won’t have the same forgiveness as full suspension bikes do, especially in the rear.
Cross country
The Santa Cruz Chameleon is an aggressive hardtail with a slack head tube angle and 130mm of travel in its fork, which means its not designed for XC riding in particular. Does that mean its no good on flatter trails or for cross country rides? Absolutely not!
The Chameleon pedals efficiently and works well for cross country rides just as it does for downhill riding and jumps. If you were looking to buy the ideal bike for XC racing, the Chameleon wouldn’t be the bike you’d get because you’d want something lighter with less travel.
However, living up to its name once again, the Chameleon blends in and performs well in just about any environment you ride it in, whether that be downhill, hitting jumps, and in this case, cross country. It may not be the best bike for any of these things, but it is definitely a great option to be able to do all of them on one bike.
The Chameleon’s snappy handling makes it a serious performer on XC trails with tight turns. The one gripe we have is again with the weight – ideally you’d like something a little lighter for cross country riding but its still far superior for riding XC than heavier full suspension bikes.
Looks
The Santa Cruz Chameleon looks sharp with its clean hardtail design and its aggressive and slack geometry inspires confidence and is pleasing to the eye.
The color choices for the Chameleon include Gloss Navy Blue and Golden Yellow, and while we’re partial to the looks of the Gloss Navy Blue version of the bike, both look terrific and complement the bike’s appearance.
Frequently asked questions
Yes you can absolutely hit jumps on the Santa Cruz Chameleon, and we’d even go as far as to say that the bike shines when hitting dirt jumps. While it doesn’t have the forgiveness of a full suspension bike on hard landings, the Chameleon feels very balanced on takeoffs and while airborne, which inspires confidence and keeps you in control.
The Santa Cruz Chameleon uses a 130mm RockShox Recon RL fork.
No, the Santa Cruz Chameleon isn’t a dedicated cross country mountain bike, but it can be ridden XC no problem. The bike is very versatile and can be ridden on many different types of trails including cross country.
The Chameleon is a hardtail with 130mm of travel in its fork, the RockShox Recon RL.
Mountain bike review criteria
When reviewing mountain bikes, these are the things we look for:
- Frame quality
- Component quality
- Bike weight
- Bike style and aesthetic appeal
For a detailed breakdown of how we assess each of these criteria, see How We Review Mountain Bikes.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a confidence inspiring, hard charging and versatile bike, the Santa Cruz Chameleon should definitely be on your radar. The Chameleon has long been a favorite of aggressive hardtail enthusiasts for good reason, and with the latest tweaks to its geometry is a formidable shred machine.