I'm just a regular MTB trail rider that likes to review components that I buy with my own money and I always give my honest opinion to help those that are considering buying for themselves. I also like to give tips, tricks and other MTB related topics and I do every video in one take - for the good or the bad and most times I talk a little too much. If you have any questions drop them in the comments and I will always answer and if I don't it means I didn't get a notification so try again!
As for rebound setting, is "all the way closed" in the direction of the turtle(slow)? Like your vids (subscribed), you're riding style and philosophy on simplicity are on par with what I do.
Hi Paul! Yes "all the way closed" is turning the control clockwise like you were tightening a bolt. For rebound, since the knob is on the bottom, many people get confused on which way to turn it, but "tightening it" like it was a bolt (or towards Turtle!!) is the correct way to slow the rebound of the fork and the way Fox and most people describe clicks.
I had this bottle in my cart for the longest time and I could never hit Buy. The lack of insulation for one thing, and that cap on the spout isn't made for road bikers. They have one without cap but then it's twice the price! It's completely absurd. Great review tho!
Hi Chris! The lack of an insulated bottle is the biggest reason not to buy the FidLock. I recently asked FL on IG if they were going to make one and they said yes and it should be available to buy at the end of the year. Once they have one, it should be a game changer... thanks for the helpful comment! 👍
Hey Alex! I totally agree and that's probably one of the best reasons alone to stay with mechanical..... I say that asking you to pay no attention at all to the new X01 AXS on my Chameleon 8. Nope, nothing to see there at all. (man I'm a glutton for punishment)🤣
Nice! Food for thought when I upgrade my fork! I wonder how long my Fox Rhythm fork on my R spec will last... If I do upgrade, then I guess I’ll keep it fox 34 130mm. The lighter build and more custom settings sound enticing!
Hey Alan! I'm betting your Rhythm 34 will last a good long time, although a good case of upgraditis might render that inconsequential.😅 You definitely can't go wrong with the 34 and the Performance Elite GRIP X would be the overall best bang for your buck for sure.
Hey there step1! Thanks! I do a lower leg and air spring service about every 6-8 months which for me is above what FOX and RS recommend, but since I ride only in dry conditions and wipe my fork stanchions before every ride I can get away with longer service intervals. I have never seen any evidence on the foam rings that I went too long, but your mileage may vary of course.... I always do the air spring whenever I drop the lowers as it just makes sense to me and is kind of like not changing the oil filter when doing an oil change on a car. Thanks for commenting and I hope this helps!
Hi josh! That is a Magura Vyron v2 31.6 x 150mm. I like it so much that I went with their new Vyron v3 for the initial 2024 Matt Blackout build, but it was an absolute piece of junk and I sold it after one ride for my AXS Reverb.
As someone who worked for Santa Cruz bikes I can confirm that after PON bikes acquisition things at SC became very different and a lot more confusing. Their business model has definitely shifted from quality to quantity. Also good call not taking the bait and going for a made in china carbon. Thankfully the aluminum frame is still made in Taiwan. As multiple chameleon owner myself I just recently just made the switch to a handmade aluminum frame from Canada. We’ll see how it goes!
Sup Rasta!! Awesome info to add to the discussion! From what I know of the Pon purchase, both of my frames (2019/2024) were produced after the acquisition (please correct me if I'm wrong) so I only know SC in their current business state. What you say makes perfect sense as those humungous companies really only care about one thing and that's money.... I mean how much more would it have cost SC to put in a driveside cable port in the top tube to accommodate all rear brake routing needs from all around the planet? I would've gladly paid $11 more for it. Thanks again for the comment! EDIT: What frame did you buy?
@@ThunderStruckMTB I personally hate the internal routing on the metal frame it’s definitely better on the carbon frame because they are able to run the channels. But yeah technically PON initially made the purchase in 2015 but things didn’t start changing around the shop until they moved Cervelló into the shop in 2019. I ended up purchasing a banshee paradox, but I still have a lot of love the chameleon and all my friends at Santa Cruz but there are so many cool bike companies out there now it’s hard for me to support the mega brand of PON that took away that small bike brand feel of Santa Cruz.
@@SurfSCRasta Nice! I really like the Paradox and it was also on my short list while waiting for my 2nd matte blackout frame. I would've gone with the raw frame myself, but the black anodized also looks bad ass..... enjoy the hell out of it!
I’ve been on my Bronson for just over a year and it’s been amazing. So quiet, the most fun bike I’ve owned. Just wish it came with better parts for the price. Upgrades needed.
Hi Matt! Awesome to hear! SC's build specs sometimes aren't the best in terms of value/bang for your buck, but man are they fun to ride.😃 Thanks for adding your SC experience to the discussion!
Hey jdm! The silver bars on Old Greenie are Tenet Bodem AL v3 (colorway silver) and they are aluminum. The bars on the Matte Blackout are OneUp carbon bars.
I just got my first SC. A Hightower cc frame. While building it there were many subtle quality items that were amazingly engineered that I didn’t know about until I built my own. Internal cable routing is more well engineered than other brands, bearings are all in the metal links rather than carbon frame, very low center of gravity shock weight makes tech easier to balance, oil ports on links, small parts availability, absolutely silent ride over rocky dh, internal glove box boundary part, and probably a fee more items I can’t remember right now. I looked at yeti, ibis and specialized. I wanted local support, life time warranty with a good rep for ease of claims, and overall geometry and quality. SC was the only one that hits them all for me.
Hey rmh! Congrats on your Hightower! SC's engineering is top notch for sure and it sounds like you got a clean QC frame which is exactly what we bargain for. The sliding dropouts on my 2024 v8 are awesome and such an improvement over my v7s. Enjoy your SC and thanks for adding your positive experience to the discussion!
SC is more like Ferrari. They took care of you. Try the waiting game with Canyon. Just getting a response from Canyon can take weeks, a d a warranty replacement can take months… bot counting the hundreds in shipping costs.
Ouch! SC's customer service is absolutely top notch for sure and will be the reason I stay with them in the future... along with the way their bikes ride of course.
The issues you experienced is 100% not perfectionist/unreasonable things to expect. It's literally an oval hole, paint that can't be hardened properly and a twist in a frame. Hardtails are relatively simple (ride like they look on paper for the most part) and there are so many fantastic hardtails to choose from that I'd personally try something new for the next bike.
Hi ll88! Thanks for that! I totally agree and was so close to buying a new frame while impatiently waiting for my 2nd matte blackout to arrive. I was all over the place and was looking at the Ibis DV9, Sonder Signal Ti, Yeti ARC, Cannondale Habit HT and Stanton Switch9er Ti. If this v8 matte blackout has any future problems, then I will be moving on from SC for my next bike, but if it's anything like my 2nd v7.1 Old Greenie, then I will be able to forgive and forget!
For sure. A bit of a "the devil you know" scenario! A super rad bike the Chameleon but I perhaps see them as surfboards - a different board/bike is a chance to learn something new on a different shape when the opportunity arises!
Have you seen the cracks on the v7 close to the dropouts? Check sc chameleon crack on internet. Idk how it happened maybe over torque the bolts, but I did message sc to tell me the exact Nm for every bolt and I was blow away that they saud 20Nm for the 2 dropout bolts. To me it looks way to tight… How tight you have them?
Hey Chisavu! Yes, I have seen those cracks on the v7 Chameleon. Santa Cruz did a running change to add more material to the frame in the area of where the dropout slider locating barrel slides in the frame's recess. SC officially calls it's update "v7.1" and was implemented for model year 2019 and above (my bike is a 2019 v7.1). You can go to: www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/product-support/chameleon-7-aluminum and see the torque values for the v7/v7.1 and yes, the bottom dropout bolts are 20nm and the top bolts are 11nm. I have always torqued them to spec and have never had an issue with well over 8k miles on the bike!
@@ThunderStruckMTB oh didn’t knew they made a v7.1. Anyway idk what to say bout the brand. Last year i got a brand new Stoic 4 and the bike rips. Super impressed with it and the price was incredible. The geo is similar and I don’t really see a difference in quality. It’s double the price of my chameleon but rides just as good.
@@dragoschisavu I love the Stoic! What color/build did you get? (edit: I see you got the 4) I wish Canyon would do frame only options, but I understand why they don't.... I bet the Stoic and Chameleon come out of the same Taiwanese factory!
Hey Colin!! I've only had one GT and it is still one of my favorite bikes ever. It only took 1 frame to make 1 bike and lasted over 30yrs! I'm so glad they are making a comeback and I could easily see myself on one again.🙂 Enjoy the heck out of yours! (When my daughter left last Sunday it was 44C here and when she got home her house was 12C because they left the heater off while they were gone!) 😅
@@ThunderStruckMTB Hey Darryl No problems with my bike here (touch aluminium). Yes it's definitely cooler here but the sun is out often, with less rain than normal. I bet the wedding was great.
@@colinl2908 Oh man Colin, the wedding was simply incredible! I did not expect it to hit all of the feelings like it did and as I walked my daughter down the isle, wow, that was a freaking overwhelming blast of emotions! 😂
Hey XC! For me, my 2024 v8 is a much better bike than my 2019 v7.1 and I will be doing a video describing the differences between the two and why I like my v8 better. The Ibis DV9 is a nice bike for sure and was on my short list of frames while impatiently waiting for my 2nd Matte Blackout frame to arrive!
I've just put a Ground Control T5 on the rear of my full sus for summer on the strength of this review. I didn't feel comfortable putting one up front so I went for a T7 Purgatory. After 45 miles I'm sold. Ridulously fast, far more grip than I'd have expected and a large weigh saving over my Minions. I'm not sure how they'd cope in the wet, but I'd guess a T7 Ground Control would do better than the T5. Oh and they run completely true. I'm sick of the 50/50 chance of a defective casing with Maxxis!
Hi Ben! I'm really happy that this helped you decide to give them a try. I have only used the T7 GCs but have wondered about the T5. The Purg T7 looks awesome and I may give it a go on the front, but I'm so happy with the GC T7s front and rear that it's hard to try something else.
@@ThunderStruckMTB I think if you don't ride in the wet and don't need the extra sidewall protection, the T5 is worth a shot. The rubber doesn't feel that hard to me, so it'd be interesting to see how the rolling resistance and grip is between the two compounds.
While I wasn't at the factory when it was manufactured, it certainly did not look like "a rubber saddle with holes punched into it". Either way, I would never pay the asking price for any of the mainstream brand's 3D saddles.
Beautiful bike my friend I almost bought that one instead I went with a Vitus sentier at the time I was looking for one two months later they are out of business should've went with the chameleon
Hey Kieth! Thanks for that! Your Sentier is a nice bike and it's such a shame that Vitus (and Nukeproof) got caught up in the whole CRC debacle as I really like both brands..... just keep enjoying your bike!! 😀
Wow 3 times! That's crazy! Anyways, i finally have my Yellow Chameleon 8 R MX and I love it! I've changed the cockpit with a shorter stem. I also feel like getting a longer dropper post too. Otherwise it's such a great bike!
Hi Alan! CONGRATS!! You've got a great bike for sure and I bet the MX turns awesome. I first went with a 50mm stem myself and then shortened to a 42.5mm and it fits me like a glove...... Such a great bike!! 👍
@@ThunderStruckMTB Yes, i set the rear dropouts in the middle at first but after a month i decided to get a 35mm length stem and slammed the rear wheel inside more and yes it feels more agile than before! Good luck with your Chameleon! At the moment i really want a high engagement hub but not sure if i should splurge on carbon rims to go with it as it's a hardtail..!
@@alanlau4941 It really is amazing how much sliding the dropouts can change the entire feel of the bike. I'm all the way out on my v7 and 1/2 way on my v8. I personally didn't have the greatest experience with DT Swiss XMC carbon wheels as I found them too harsh compared to my XM 1700 aluminum set, but it was my one and only experience with carbon rims, so I don't know if I would have the same opinion on other brands.
Hi Jamel! Thank you for that.... it's very much appreciated. You also have the switch and only need to find it and once you do, watch out baby! Thanks for commenting and adding to the video. 👍
Great looking bike! I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts on that saddle. Unfortunately I’ve been dealing with some of the same issues you did ‘down there’. Finally at a point where I am attempting to ride again, and have been trying saddles like crazy. That’s not one I’ve seen before, but looks like it’s got a nice big pressure relief cutout.
Hi Ethan! Man, I'm sorry to hear you've been battling prostatitis. It sounds like you've done the right first step by taking a break from riding and now just ease yourself back into it with shorter rides, a concentrated effort to stand just a bit more on them and take a couple of days of rest in between the next ride. As for my Velo Angel Revo Halo, I only have 4 rides on it but it has been awesome so far. I started to have some soft tissue "saddle sore" issues with my Ergon SM Pro saddle which was totally new for me and came out of nowhere, so I thought I would try a totally new saddle and so far so good. I'll touch a bit more on the Velo in a future video. The overall quality is lights out compared to Ergon that's for sure.... Best of luck to you!
Hey Alex! They are pretty freaking cool and even though it's only been 1 ride, I'm pretty stoked on the GRIP X damper. Really glad to hear your yellow Lizard's paint is strong and so far so good with my vs MBO..... Fingers crossed!
@@ThunderStruckMTB I’ve had a lot of bikes over the decades, bmx, MTB, road, and I’ve ridden even more. I think this is a special frame. The dropouts, the geometry, ride feel (especially for aluminum). Great bikes really fun and intuitive to ride.
Totally agree Alex. While waiting for this frame to arrive I ran the gamut of buying a different frame and then selling this one when I got it, but I always came back to "I really love my Chameleon and it's the one I want". So much fun.
….can’t wait to hear the outcome of the first ride, see how the paint holds up as I’ve been wanting to get a Chameleon S-kit, but can’t see paying for a poorly painted frame.
Congratulations Darrel on the wedding . My son was married in Palmdale a decade ago at his wife's parents house . Carly just recently got engaged . She doesn't live as far as your daughter but being in Virginia its pretty far . It's great they came to socal to get married . That can be a difficult decision with families and friends on different continents . I got back into the softball coaching with my granddaughter and helped my son as he was the manager . Brought back those old memories of our softball coaching days . Bike looks great . Maybe some paint covering could help protect the paint . Rocks getting kicked up is always a problem Let your daughter know Carly's dad says congrats and have a great life . A big deal for dear old dad giving his baby girl away .
Hi Steve! Man, time has sure flown by hasn't it? Congrats on everything and I bet being a grandpa is pretty darn rad! You out on the field again is great for every girl that is lucky enough to have you as her coach.... Sofie says "Hi!!" and please pass along my hello and congrats to Carly!
Hey Rico! lol I Love it!! I am passing along your advice to my daughter momentarily and I'm sure she'll be open to it! I always figure that a bike thief wouldn't get very far before going OTB grabbing that right lever.😅
Loving the update vids/progression on a one bike quiver! P.S If you're ever back in Aus again (if your fam is in Melbourne) would be great to take you to our local trails!
G'Day ll88! Yes! I will definitely be back in the Melbourne area again, but not until Christmas 2025. I was lucky enough to ride at Lysterfield MTB park (or "old Lysty" as I was just told) and had an amazing time.... I will bookmark this comment and will hit you up then!😀
@ThunderStruckMTB no worries mate. I grew up about 5mins from Lysty so was where I learnt to ride! Lots of rad riding not too far from Melbourne - if you like pedalling + natural tech Red Hill should be on tbe cards!
@@lenolenoleno So cool! Lysty is so much different from everything I know and it was just incredible. I do love to pedal on natural terrain and Red Hill sound perfect... this comment is bookmarked and here's to us riding together in 2025! 😀
Hey Romie! I apologize as I'm not 100% sure that I understand your question, but I'll give you what I know about Santa Cruz's warranty. Only the original purchaser of the bike is covered by SC's lifetime warranty. If that owner sells or gives their frame to someone else, then the warranty is now void. Same if you were to buy a frame from a private party and not a certified SC dealer. I have a video on my channel talking about my 1st hand experience with SC's warranty and here is that link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_5P-99B5dLU.html I hope this helps and if it didn't please ask again!!
I'm 38 and have this problem since my early 30's. So its also the young guys. The big problem for me is my mental reaction on the mild iritation. I tense up and especially in my pelvic floor. This tension irritates it even further. So its a loop you get stuck in. At first i didn't know and i was in total agony. But after seeing two urologists and two cystocopies (one of the most unpleasant test a man can do. Even worse than a rectal exam😅) it was clear i was in perfect working order and it was caused by pressure on my pelvic floor (muscular and/or external) I also want to metion that every exercise or movement that puts pressure on the plevic floor, squats or deadlifts for example, can agrevate the prostate even more. I had good luck with a cheap bbb bsd-72 saddle. Did 1200km in 10 days from luxemburg to Switzerland 80% unpaved on it with zero problems. It looks a bit soft at first, but in my logic it dissipates the pressure more. Thanks for the info. Not allot out there.
Hi Wetl! AWESOME info to add... thank you! I am so glad that I have been able to manage my issue by being smarter than I ever have been before, as well as just being honest with myself. Unfortunately prostatitis is one of those things that you have to personally experience before you can fully grasp how bad it can be. I wish you the best of managing your symptoms as well and thanks again for contributing to the video.
Hi Damian! 550EUR for a Pike Charger 3 Ultimate is an awesome price! Congrats! Like my video saga painfully showed, I found the Charger 3 Pike Ultimate to be really hard to set up. So much so that I bought the FOX Factory 34 in this video. I ended up selling the 34 and going back to a second Pike Ultimate Charger 3 for my 2nd bike and I have been able to find a setting that works pretty well for me. I'm 215lbs and am using RS's recommended psi of 94 with no tokens. I have rebound set to RS's recommendation of 8 out from full closed. I have HSC backed off 1 click from center (softer) and LSC backed off 4 clicks from center (softer) and I am pretty happy.... still not as happy as I was with my Charger 2.1 though. I have since bought a 2025 FOX 34 Factory GRIP X to install onto my new frame when and if it ever gets here.... Let me know how you get on with your Pike!
Hi Chris! I have never had a single issue (I'm sure that's the kiss of death and a walk home soon). I ride in the SoCal high desert and while the trails that I ride are not real rocky, we do have out share of goat heads out here which can and will end your day. I really don't have to worry about sidewall cut protection from sharp rocks too much like you might, but for my 210lbs of general desert trail riding they have been awesome. I go back and forth between Stans (regular formula) and Orange Seal Endurance depending on price and both work well for the dozens of goat head punctures in each tire over the now 815 mile run (Stans in this run) of both front and rear!
I have a Polygon Siskiu T8, and the headset bearings *look* like they should go in upside-down at first if you're not careful. Easy to do incorrectly. But very noticeable and easy to flip. 😆
Hey Alex! Yep, they are a freaking blast to ride aren't they?! How tall are you and what size are you riding? I'm just under 6' with average arms and legs (32mm pant inseam) and the large v8 fit's me well with a 42.5mm Burgtec stem and 35/40mm riser bars. (I like a little more upright seated pedaling position) My large v7 feels a little too stretched out when seated pedaling because of the slacker seat tube and then a little too cramped when standing because of the "older school" shorter reach. The v8 fixed both of those small issues for me.
got a large in yellow! even better! what a ride. slammed the dropouts and were in business. i do want soem taller bars, but I have the PNW carbons and they are really sweet so I'm on the fence about going back to aluminum.
Congrats Alex! We're really close to the same size and the large is freaking perfect for me.... such a good bike! I'm on 35mm rise OneUp carbon bars with 20mm of spacers under my stem and the riding position works great for me. Enjoy it brother!
There you are! Can’t wait to find out what happened. But glad you’re alive, well and still riding. Really missed your videos. Love the LE Podium forks. I’ve seen them in person. The are fire. Looking fwd to the next update!
Sup Ray!! Thank you for that! I really did not like the Podium Gold when I first saw it, but then it just kept looking better and better.... and you're right, in person they are pretty freaking awesome! Looking forward to the GRIP X damper and the 150ish gram savings over the Pike. Every day I check my email hoping to see a shipping notification from Santa Cruz and every day I grow more and more impatient. I hope that titanium beauty is treating you well... ( I almost bought a Sonder Signal Ti but chickened out - multiple times)
Man the wait would drive me insane. I bet you’re just about to really pull the plug on SC if they don’t deliver soon. Can’t wait to find out the back story on the situation but I hope you get that shipping email soon and they better expedite it to first class VIP delivery! The Sage Ti has been good to me. What they say about compliance and suppleness is very true about titanium. It’s not gonna be stiff and fast like carbon but for a trail bike, I’m looking for good damping and shock absorption, more important that it’s a hardtail.
I've been so close to buying a Ti frame and quite frankly it's still not off the table depending on what happens in the next 2-4 weeks.... heck, a Transition Spur is still on the table! I'm pretty sour right now on SC and all bets are off on what I will do once I actually receive my frame..... except for making a video, as that will happen for sure.
