I am having a problem on choosing a frame I am either going to buy an imperial or a chameleon can any one help me decide?
evil or santacruz?
- Thread starter santa_cruz831
- Start date
quite simple really... chameleon if ya wanna trail ride/ jump... good compromise, do it all frame
imperial if it s for jumpin / urban and playin...
partsbara
imperial if it s for jumpin / urban and playin...
partsbara
.243racing
2 words....evil sovereign!
How much do you wanna spend? If I were in the situation you're in personally I'd get the Chameleon because I know that it'd be more than adequate for my girlish hucks and shall we say entertaining urban skills, an Evil on the other hand would just be overkill, again for someone with my fear of death.
Can't speak for Evils, except to say that I think they're one of the nicest looking bikes made. I do however own a Chameleon, and I'm a big fan. It's super stiff, you can do trail/XC rides almost (little harsh for epic rides) all day long and then drop the seat and go urban or hit jumps. It's a very versatile bike. I went on an XC ride the other day, then threw on the Boxxer for ****s and giggles and did some freeriding.
Having said that, I feel pretty certain that it'll be replaced by a Sovereign one of these days.
Some pics of the Chameleon in action here:
http://community.wvu.edu/~mlm054/forest.html
Having said that, I feel pretty certain that it'll be replaced by a Sovereign one of these days.
Some pics of the Chameleon in action here:
http://community.wvu.edu/~mlm054/forest.html
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I've been super happy with my Imperial. It's pretty much become my do-everything bike. I mainly rode street on it, but lately I've even been riding XC on it for the because I was forced to sell my trail frame for financial reasons. I just threw a front brake on and it was xc ready
It absolutely rails in the woods. Soooo much fun in the tech stuff. You can flick it at everything, so light, unbelievable stiff and responsive.
It absolutely rails in the woods. Soooo much fun in the tech stuff. You can flick it at everything, so light, unbelievable stiff and responsive.
how about a little more specifics...they're are quite different when you get down to it...what are you looking for in a HT?....Dsanta_cruz831 said:
just from the info i would go with the imperial. they look kick ass with a dc on them. are awsome at dh and jumps.like the guy said it rails like no other just cause of the geometry. and you can still do stunts jumps dh and maybee some xc depending on the setup.
I ride everything on my Evil...DH, urban, DJ's, XC, beer runs, etc... & it rocks. I cant speak for the chameleon but it was on my list of bikes when i got the evil.
Dont get an evil if you are anti-social because everyone you see will want to quiz you about it & tell you how badass it looks.
Dont get an evil if you are anti-social because everyone you see will want to quiz you about it & tell you how badass it looks.
Actually any hardtail looks pretty dumb with a DC fork on it. No offense or anything, but there is absolutely no point.me89 said:
I would prefer the evil for jumping/screwing around urban on.
The chameleon is a great bike. I did the shasta classic XC race (30 miles) on a single speed chameleon with DH gearing and a 4" marz fork and LOVED every minute of it. It is a better bike for this sort of thing.
I don't know man.Transcend said:
My buddy rides a HT with a monster T and i got to tel you that he kills it on that thing.
He always smiling and having a good time.
That to me is the "point" of riding bikes.
Sure it looks rather bizare but what the hell, he goes big and doesn't kill wheels. I don't know how but he doesn't. :nuts:
Im sure he can kill on it, but the "looks pretty bizarre" was my point. And ya, most people manage to obliterate wheels with that much travel up front.LOOnatic said:
I also don't get why you put the frame through that sort of ridiculous stresses, when you can geta good 6/7" single crown now?
If I had the money for a new fork, it definitely wouldn't go towards a new fork. Besides, I've got a dying Boxxer Race sitting around that's paid for, and ain't worth squat if I sold it. Might as well put it to use.Transcend said:
I agree that it looks kooky, but it was an absolute blast to ride.
i got a chameleon. use it for everything. currently, setup as a urban bike. this bike rips. manuals amazin well considering it has 16.5" chainstays 
I am surprised no one has chimed in yet suggesting the new street ride that santa cruz has coming out soon, as of now it is going to be called the soldier and has been designed with extensive input from kurt vories. The following is a link to a picture of kurt with the bike scroll down a bit http://bikemag.com/features/events/monster/photos/index1.html , I was checking it out at snowshoe and the thing looks sick! The soveirgn looks amazing as well I have never seen a cleaner looking street bike...but either are yet to be made available. I ride a chameleon and it is a great bike, but the above 2 will be far superior.
I'm pretty sure the Imperial is about the most versatile HT currently made that your going to find. With the crazy adjustable 15.5 /16.25 /17 inch dropouts, and the super burly 1.5 headtube. It will allow you to run any fork and any tire combo you could possibly want. There is really nothing you can't do with it.
But if you want more of an XC oriented bike, or you really want steel, the Sovereign and the DOC are nice options, and production is right around the corner.
But if you want more of an XC oriented bike, or you really want steel, the Sovereign and the DOC are nice options, and production is right around the corner.
Actually he said that his freind DOESN'T destroy wheels...Transcend said:
I am curious, how a tripple clamp puts more stress on the fork that a single crown?Transcend said:
Since the tripple attached at the top and bottom of the steerer and the load is shared via the stanchions, you would get loading the top of the steerer tube and bottom, but it would be the load/2. With a single crown all the load would be applied mostly at one end of the steerer tube... which to me would aggrevate the issue of ovalization at the bottom of the steerer tube.bagtagley said:
Some people on this board have too much money... but not me 
Might be worth something as parts (to me!)... what year is it?bagtagley said:
Trancend said frame not fork, and he is correct the dual crown will put waaaaaaaaay more stress on your frame than a single, just listen to the man...Slugman said:I am curious, how a tripple clamp puts more stress on the fork that a single crown?
[quote = Trancsend]Actually any hardtail looks pretty dumb with a DC fork on it. No offense or anything, but there is absolutely no point.[/quote]