Santa Cruz Ruined the Chameleon... So I Fixed It.

[@ignaciosevil1944]

converr it into a dropbar 29 with a rigid fork now thats the way to go. For any bumpy to gnar riding go to double suspension

[@NickandKatieMTB]

I will do that in the next video 😄

[@splooshmtb]

New rim being circular is such an underrated feature 😂😂

[@NickandKatieMTB]

You pay extra for that these days! 😂 Thanks for watching man! 🤙

[@theshonen8899]

Reverse Components makes a crown racer spacer that adds 10mm of stack and slacks the headangle by 0.5 degrees. Also, using a 27.5 wheel in a 29 fork will generally be fine as long as you are not using 27.5+ tires. You should only need to swap the fork if you specifically want more travel.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@theshonen8899 this was the comment I was waiting for! I knew there had to be some sort of spacer that would bump up the front end. Now I know right where to look! Thanks! I suppose I could run a 29er fork but I’m not a fan of having too big of a space between the arch on the lowers and the tire. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching! 🤙

[@gregorythornton4930]

The Chameleon is such a versatile bike!I wouldn't trade mine! Really enjoying following along in the build...... Nice work man!

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@gregorythornton4930 right! Stoked to hear you’re enjoying the build! I have a new Chameleon video filmed, just gotta edit it. Coming soon! 🤘

[@BIIIKES]

Always happy when y'all post a video. Bike is sick, dude 🙌

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@BIIIKES that’s means a lot! We’re always happy to see a comment from you! 🤜🤛

[@eliaspszwaro9233]

Exactly the video I was looking for because I am doing the exact same thing

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@eliaspszwaro9233 stoked to hear that! How’s it coming along?

[@Biking_with_Akiva]

Nice setup, I ran the MountainKing in 2.3 great tire combo🤙🏾. Looking forward to the next one 💪🏾

[@NickandKatieMTB]

I was debating running a mt. king in the front! Can’t beat the value on these tires. Thanks for watching! 🤙

[@chrysr7773]

I ride a 2019 Chameleon 27+ that came with 27.5 x 2.8 tires when I bought it new. I eventually put a 2.6 width rear tire on it. I love this bike (same color as yours) and I like 27.5 better than 29. I think the bike industry should not abandon 27.5 wheels. My wife rides a 5010 from 2016 that has 27.5 x 2.3 front and back and she loves it. She says 29 wheels kinda flop back and forth while climbing .

[@NickandKatieMTB]

I think 27.5 will stick around! I'm happy to hear you and your wife enjoy 27.5 as well. Two more people to drive demand! 😄 I could go on and on about all the reasons why I love 27.5 wheels, but if you've seen my videos you probably already know the reasons. Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching.🤙

[@markmcdonald5711]

I have a Santa Cruz 5010 V3, the last year they made a 5010 with 27.5 on both wheels. I will be keeping this bike until I die.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@markmcdonald5711 heck yeah! Did you mean V4? I have a 2022 V4 5010 from the last year they made them full 27.5 too! It’s the greatest bike on the planet. Thanks for the comment! 🤙

[@markmcdonald5711]

@@NickandKatieMTB I have the same bike as you, I bought it new October 2022. Got the version number wrong. Santa Cruz made a big mistake changing the 5010 to MX, I'm sure it was for production reasons and not to improve the bike. Keeping mine.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@markmcdonald5711 yeah I agree. There was a lot of unhappy campers when they dropped the new 5010. I’ve seen a lot of people talking in FB groups about how they wish the Chameleon still had a 27.5 option too. I love Santa Cruz bikes, so I hope they listen to the people and put 27.5 back on the menu.

[@mikej1348]

I like that you got experiment on your Chameleon. I have a Chameleon 7 plus bike. I run 2.8s front and rear. It has the 29er fork that I increased to 140mm on the front. I run spank vibrocore 60mm rise on the front. It’s super comfy with the lower tire pressures I can run.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@mikej1348 that sounds like a sweet bike! You are the second person to mention the spank Vibrocore bars. I’ll have to look into those! Thanks for sharing with me what you ride and thanks for watching! 🤙

[@endebtedone]

Continental Cross King's are legit!!!! they roll so smooth and easy with a ton of grip. absolutely worth it.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@endebtedone they really are such a great tire, and at half of what other brands cost! Thanks for watching! 🤙🤙

[@timc4258]

Sweet bike! I have the same one in yellow (XL), and it's full 27.5. I'm running a Fox Factory 36 up front, Reserve 37's and Maxxis Rekon's in 2.8's. It's a great bike. Ironically I also have a 5010.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@timc4258 sounds like a sweet rig! Great taste in bikes my friend! 💪

[@albert85b]

Great video - I have the previous generation Chameleon and I've always wondered about going 27.5+, maybe 2.8". FWIW, I think you should go option A.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@albert85b thank you! I’d say give it a shot! Option A is what I’m leaning toward too. Thanks for your input and thanks for watching!

[@rafael_13]

Seeying 26inch tires die was hard... then, 29ers started getting more popular, and now 27.5s are dying... man what a rollercoaster it has been the past 10 years

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@rafael_13 if they start pushing 30”+ wheels I’m finding a new hobby 😂

[@rafael_13]

@@NickandKatieMTB For real though 🤣🤣

[@PuffinPass]

I turned my Ragley Bluepig from a full 27.5 to a mullet and love it like this. As a 27.5 it was a good ride but as a mullet it is great, it did take a slight hit on climbing, but the descending on it is worth the compromise IMO.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@PuffinPass been eyeing a few Ragley’s on Facebook marketplace. Could totally see myself buying one someday! Super cool bikes. Stoked to hear that you were able to improve your bike by making it mullet! It goes to show that there is no one size fits all wheel size. It’s all about what the riders needs are! Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching! 🤙

[@PuffinPass]

@@NickandKatieMTB if you want one then better move soon, Ragley is no longer manufacturing with Wiggle/CRC being sold off earlier this year.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@PuffinPass didn’t know that! That’s a shame.

[@PuffinPass]

@@NickandKatieMTB Yeah Vitus Ragley and Nukeproof are now the property of an equity group known for cashing in on legacy brands then when that dries up or they have run it to the ground they liquidate everything. I would still grab a good condition used frame though, they are really solid hardtails with really progressive geometry choices.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@PuffinPass damn. I’ll have to look into that, that’s a bummer. Yeah I think my next hardtail will be something like that. Been keen on finding a chromag stylus, and ragley bikes give me a similar impression.

[@dadventuretv2538]

Ironically, I just mulleted my Bronson V3. Pretty happy with it. But I wanted it a bit more capable. Plus I have a Bronson V2 also that is full 27.5 and feels like a BMX in comparison to my V3 and my Ibis Oso. I wish SC had kept the 5010 as a full 27.5 and the Chameleon should have all options- full 29er, mullet and full 27.5. Hope you enjoy your build. For 50 mm rise bars, check oht the Spank Vivocore. When I mulleted the Bronson I took out the spacers and slammed the stem so the bars wouldn’t come back any more (they already do bc it is a bit slacker) but then I need to raise them up, so got the 50 mm riser bar. I really like the feel of the Spanks.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@dadventuretv2538 Thanks for the comment! Sounds like you have quite a few awesome builds. I’ll have to check out those Spank bars. I love my 38mm Burgtec ride high rise bars I have on my 5010. I was gonna just snag those in a 50mm, but it would be interesting to try something new! Thanks for the suggestion and thanks for watching!

[@benlukkie]

My Ragley mmmbop feels better 27.5 F/B. Did ride it as mullet at first, but with the 29 fork it was pretty slack so changed the front wheel to 27.5 and changed from 30 to 50mm riser bars, works great now.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@benlukkie that’s awesome to hear. I’m hoping some high rise bars will be the solution to my problem! Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching! 🤙

[@findtherightbeat]

Thanks for doing this video! Do you have a link to the calculator? Thanks!

[@NickandKatieMTB]

Yes! Here's the link - www.bike-stats.de/en/geometrie_rechner Thanks for watching! 🤙

[@findtherightbeat]

@@NickandKatieMTB Appreciate it!

[@woduk]

Surprised they don’t offer a 27.5 wheeled bike. Not keen on the mixed wheel size myself either

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@woduk yeah a few years ago Santa Cruz changed all of their 27.5 bikes to MX bikes. I was pretty bummed out because I’m a big Santa Cruz guy! Guess I’ll have to find a new brand eventually because I love 27.5 bikes.

[@jonathanberg1434]

Option D: Works components reach set :) adds roughly 10mm stack to the fork and makes the Bike a little longer (if you feel like you could use an extra 5 mm :))

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@jonathanberg1434 interesting option! Those incremental changes would be perfect for correcting the geo. I’ll have to look into it! Thanks for the suggestion! 👍👍

[@theshedMTB]

Option D - lace up a 26 inch rear wheel and make it a mullet again it’ll fix the geometry and the bike will turn the way it’s supposed to turn.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@theshedMTB love that idea! Thanks for the suggestion!

[@theshedMTB]

@@NickandKatieMTB I don't know if you lace up your own wheels but I'm not that far from you I think you're in Pennsylvania right? If you paid for the parts I can lace up a wheel for you 27.5 by 26 is kind of a specialty for me. Believe it or not there's still some decent tires available for 26-inch including those Continentals you're running now

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@theshedMTB I have never built a wheel but I definitely want to learn how. That would be really cool! I’ll have to think about it and if I end up going that route I will reach out. I think that would be an interesting and unique way to go with this build. Thanks for the offer!

[@theshedMTB]

@@NickandKatieMTB i’ve done that exact mullet set up on a couple bikes , my email is on my channel page if you decide to do it

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@theshedMTB Sounds good! I see you have some pretty unique builds on your channel. I subbed and will dive into your content a bit deeper when I have some time to sit down and watch. 👍

[@NateFastBikes]

27.5 is just to good... hate that they have pretty much done away with it

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@NateFastBikes it’s a bummer! I still have faith that they will linger around into the future. Might just become more of a niche that only some brands offer. Fingers crossed! 🤞

[@mojo3398]

Also works better for me and I am average size. Especially I have way more control over the front. As long as there are Mullet Bikes it's easy to switch the front to 27.5. Wheels and tyres will be available because kids/youth bikes come with these nowadays.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@mojo3398 valid points! 27.5 bikes are a sweet spot for so many riders. Can’t imagine they will ever fully disappear.

[@blizzardskier89]

Be careful running a longer fork, you might end up getting the opposite effect you're looking for, as you slack the head angle further and further you're pushing more weight out in front of your bars basically turning your fork and wheel into a counterweight trying to keep the wheel on the ground, I've got a 20 year old stinky dee-lux with 7" of travel front and rear that weighs north of 40lbs on 26" wheels that's easier to throw around than my 30lb big honzo on 27.5's running a 160mm fork thanks to the shorter wheelbase on the stinky.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@blizzardskier89 well actually my bike is less slack than it was before haha I agree with what you’re saying in general though. Not a good idea to mess with the geo too much either direction. Thanks for watching!

[@blizzardskier89]

@@NickandKatieMTB it was, but the center of gravity of the wheel was also ~35-40mm higher, going more slack will just exacerbate the change you've already made, what'll help more, which you mentioned in the video, is a shorter reach and higher bars to push your body weight further back, oh and that other suggestion I saw to lace up a 26" wheel. I love your videos btw, I've found a lot of fun in eastern PA thanks to you so keep it up.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@blizzardskier89 oh I think I get what you’re saying! I agree, I think the high rise bars will be a good solution to the problem. And stoked to hear you enjoy the videos! We really appreciate that!

[@devonswindell9735]

27.5 ftw

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@devonswindell9735 💪💪

[@docmccoy9813]

I'm perfectly fine with my 26" bikes.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@docmccoy9813 I can relate! If it ain’t broke don’t fix it 👍

[@Josh-balti]

your geometry calculations are totally off; in terms of fork length, in the geometry calculator you've inputted the fork stroke, not the axle to crown (the actual fork length). An equivalent 27.5 fork will be about 20mm shorter than it's 29 version ( i.e a 130mm 27.5 pike is 20mm shorter overall than a 29 130mm pike) in order to maintain correct geo for what you are doing you would need to lengthen your 29 inch fork stroke by 10-20 mm and use a 27.5 front wheel. The 27.5 inch fork you've installed is actually shorter than the 29 inch you had before even though the travel is longer. that coupled with the smaller front wheel and you've lowered the front end by about an inch, significantly steepening the head angle, seat angle, lowering the bb and lengthening the reach. You can get used to anything and it might feel ok but this setup would feel a lot better with a 27.5 wheel in a 140-150mm 29 fork with a short offset. In the scheme of things it doesn't matter, and as long as you enjoy your bike thats all that counts, but having conducted this exact experiment myself on a different bike i concluded that the longer 29 fork with the smaller front wheel was the way to go in order to preserve geo.

[@NickandKatieMTB]

@@Josh-balti looking back I see I messed up the geometry calculator. I did the geometry calculator after putting everything together anyway. I was rushing and didn’t notice I put the travel instead of the axle to crown. The geo calculator image was mostly for the video. Most of my decision on what fork length I ran was based on what others suggested online. Most people said if I’m running a 27.5 fork and wheel to bump the fork up 10 or 20. The axle to crown on the 27.5 140 pike is 532 and the original 29er 130 recon that came stock on the bike was 524. It’s definitely steeper than I’d like it to be but I’m hoping to make a few adjustments to improve it. Thanks for the suggestions.

[@roddas26]

You ruined a perfectly good bike. Well done 😂