However, SC still has that name recognition cache that will sell their bikes. The competition regarding tangible value against this version of the Chameleon is high and many bikes exceed it, including the aforementioned Honzo. I firmly believe that this was done primarily for their European/overseas market and the same goes for this bike. Since then, they did finish off their single-pivots, but added alloy versions of their biggest sellers.
relegate them to just their "lower" end models (hard tails and single-pivots). get rid of all of their alloy options and/or B. I said a few years back that they would A.
This wasn't always the case as they used to beat just about everyone for value and options in the late 90's early 00's. Santa Cruz has built their rep on doing high end and unfortunately for many over the last ten years high cost bikes. The aggressive hard tail market that was originally brought to the forefront by the Honzo is a crowded one. I can almost make the dropouts touch each other with the rear wheel out on some 29" aluminum frames.
High frequency vibration might still be more noticeable on road, but that factor is mostly cancelled out by high volume tires and trail terrain.Īt 4.6 lbs and being designed for trail riding, I'm betting the Chameleon is pretty smooth, even fairly flexy, being long enough for 29". I bet there are many aluminum frames out now that you wouldn't be able to distinguish the ride quality from steel if the frames were covered up. Bike companies don't like having to constantly bring in containers of warranty frames, so there has been an effort to make aluminum frames more compliant and durable. The same qualities that made them unforgiving and harsh in the 90's also made them brittle and prone to failure. That old, default statement that steel is forgiving and aluminum is harsh just isn't true any more when talking about hardtails built for trail riding. The bare frame, which is said to weigh 4.6lbs, sells for $749 USD, and complete bikes start at $1,599 and top out at $1,999 Aluminum frame engineering and manufacturing has changed dramatically over the years. Or at least not compared to a fancy Nomad, anyway. Santa Cruz, a company that has plenty of those carbon fiber, full-suspension bikes priced around the cost of a gently used Honda Civic, has just added the opposite kind of animal to their stable: a new aluminum hardtail designed to do a lot of things while not costing a lot of money. And hardtails are the epitome of doing more with less, although it sure is easy to forget how fun they can be in these days of carbon fiber, full-suspension wünderbikes that can cost as much a decent car and let us cash cheques that our skills can't actually cover. I'm talking about those split-second moments when you may or may not find yourself picking dirt out from between your teeth while laying on your back the dirfty, slidey stuff that makes a ride so great. Are today's full-suspension bikes so good that they actually take away from the ride? I'm not sure that I'd go that far, but there's a reason why less travel often equals more fun: you're closer to the edge of control.
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