8/19/2023 0 Comments 2023 santa cruz chameleon![]() ![]() Triple bolts mean you can carry plenty of luggage slung low under the down tube Felix Smith I’ll let you know how I get on next time. ![]() However, the point of a long-term bike is to try stuff out. Stiffer carcasses can also lead to that wooden feel that tyre reviews occasionally talk about. It could be a terrible idea, and the tyres are potentially rather draggy, which may make the bike feel sluggish. The SE5 I had at the back did let go of its grip from time to time, and have you ever heard anyone complain about having too much grip up front? Also, the tread on the tyres is super chunky. My theory is that the stiff carcass will protect the rims better, so I’m less worried about sketchy lines causing cuts and/or punctures. My Chameleon is about as far away from an eMTB as you can get, but the back end of the bike is stiff, and on rocky and rooty tracks the rear wheel gets a pounding. The Eddy Current is Schwalbe’s eMTB ‘specific’ tyre with a chunky tread and chunky carcass. If you know your rubber, you might be scratching your head, but hear me out… Since then, I’ve swapped to a pair of Schwalbe Eddy Currents: 29 x 2.6 for the front and 27.5 x 2.8 at the back. In the Lakes I ran a 2.6in Bontrager SE4 upfront and a prototype SE5 2.8in tyre at the back, which I had knocking about. Other changes to the bike have come in the form of the rubber. Full suspension definitely has its place, but so too does something utterly compromised in most situations. However, I really enjoyed having to use a totally different set of riding skills to coax the bike up and over the rocks, and slither around very damp, grassy corners. Needless to say, rattling down some of the rockier tracks we could find required plenty of hanging on.įurthermore, the Chameleon certainly wasn’t the fastest option down the hill. Not only that, but it’s a damn sight nicer to hike-a-bike than the EVO. No, a singlespeed hardtail perhaps isn’t the bike you’d expect to be chosen to ride in some of England’s biggest mountains hills, but with one day on my MBUK long-term Specialized Stumpjumper EVO, the Chameleon made a nice change in terms of ride feel. ![]() I recently took the Chameleon to the Lake District for my annual trip with friends. Why? Well, the basic Guide that was fitted didn’t offer the most powerful braking and on rough, rocky tracks more powerful braking means less effort used squeezing levers, with more effort channelled in to simply hanging on. The biggest has been the brakes, which I’ve swapped from the stock SRAM Guide Rs to what might be considered an overkill set of Code RSCs in SRAM’s signature red. I’m not 100 per cent sure what the issue was, but Fox UK very quickly rectified the problem, once I’d managed to get it boxed up and shipped that is.Ĭhanges during this time have been subtle – though maybe not in terms of colour. And second, I had an issue with the Marzocchi Z2 fork. Intentions rarely match reality, and, for a number of reasons, my Chameleon has stayed stationary for much of the time between these long-term review updates.įirst, I’ve had a lot of test bikes to rattle through, so spare time to ride my long-termer has been limited. ![]() Santa Cruz Chameleon C SE+ long-term review update two ![]()
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