The New Santa Cruz Bicycles Chameleon Has Arrived

The Chameleon is a blank canvas, ready to go in whatever direction your imagination takes it. Creativity in wheel size, gearing and component choice make it the perfect muse for freethinkers and freedom seekers alike.

We made the Chameleon for riders who like to sculpt their ideal bike, and aren’t afraid to experiment. Whether 29er or mixed, geared or fixed, multiple major configuration transformations are made easy via the interchangeable dropouts. The low slung top tube and progressive geometry means this bike blends into whatever surroundings you place it. From raucous short-cuts across town to skipping the city altogether. It turns itself to trail exploration with the flip of an Allen key, thanks to the triple-bolt cargo cage mount under the downtube and standard bottle mount within the frame.

Whatever the weather, however long the ride, wherever you're going, the Chameleon is so endlessly customizable and adjustable that the only constraint is really your own mind and motivation.

KEY FEATURES

• MX and 29" wheels
• 130mm fork travel
• Aluminum Frame
• Additional 3-bolt bottle / cargo mount under downtube
• Sizes S-XL
• Lifetime Warranty

TECH INFO

• Max tire width: 29 x 2.6-in or 27.5 x 2.8-in
• Boost 148mm spacing
• Post mount brakes w/ 180mm rotors
• ISCG05 chain guide mounts
• Threaded BB
• SRAM UDH
• IS headset

ALL NEW DROPOUT

• Swap dropouts to change between MX and 29" wheels
• 425-437 mm chainstay length adjustment
• Singlespeed compatible
• Direct Post Mount Brake
• UDH dropout compatible

KIT OFFERINGS

• S KIT ($3,749 USD MSRP) - Fox 34 Float Performance 130, SRAM GX Eagle 12 speed
• R KIT ($2,949 USD MSRP) - Fox Rhythm 34 130, SRAM NX Eagle 12 speed
• D KIT ($2,399 USD MSRP) - RockShox Recon RL 130, SRAM SX Eagle 12 speed
  *all kits available in MX or 29-inch wheel configurations

FIVE RIDER’S RIDES...

We made the Chameleon for riders like these five who like to sculpt their ideal bike, and aren’t afraid to experiment. Read about the story of their unique Chameleon builds and their approach to riding

Swanee Ravonison’s Patinated Aluminum Pariah

I make steel bicycles under the moniker Pariah and I convert old bicycles (from the 80s, 90s mainly) made up of new and used parts, to create mainly fixed or single speed gear machines. I do this in my bicycle shop slash grocery store, Fée du Vélo. Looks wise I stripped ‘him’ of his flashy dress to make him more discreet, more subtle, more raw, sober, more radical like the Pariah bikes I build.

The raw side is my hallmark. It means a bike ages and skates naturally. The traces of time which give any object a certain aesthetic and reinforce their sentimental value. But the more I work and think about natural patinas, the more the result reminds me of my brown body and my scarred skin. Imperfections, natural tattoos, indelible marks, memories of all my falls.

Using Hematite to age the frame is for me the opposite of a lacquer and varnish paint finish. The diluted stone is applied with a brush and the effect is not immediate. It can be stopped by water, and suddenly the result is revealed after drying. The warmer finish brings the frame to life and the tubes disappear. I like to linger to grasp the subtleties, to guess the hand of the craftsman. It’s impossible to get the same result twice. Sobriety never goes out of fashion and the details of the treatment are so subtle that it cannot be covered at a glance.

I kept big-volume tires for a cushioned feeling and installed a rigid carbon fork with mounting points to save some weight and carry bags for long bikepacking adventures. A lower bar helps for pedaling while keeping comfortable. I opted for cable disc brakes so that I could put the suspension fork and a wider cockpit back on without having to bleed. This is a solid enduro hardtail ready for rough and technical terrain.

As soon as the bike was ready I climbed a steep hill, jumped off the sidewalks and did a long sprint as a dancer. Soon I'll go further afield on it. The Morvan region is my favorite playground because it is accessible to me. First day out would be more cross-country, a loop around Saint Brisson. It would pass through the lakes of Saint Agnan and Settons, around a hundred kilometres. The second day, pure enduro, with technical climbs and descents, barely over 50km and still in Saint Brisson in the Breuil forest.

The destination matters of course, but what I always remember is the quality of the paths, especially if these are small technical and fun trails that require a little commitment. The difficulty of a climb and the adrenaline of a descent makes an outing unforgettable!

Sven Busse’s Barmeleon

People call me Sven, or sometimes Steven. Maybe they just call me a little crazy.

For nine years I have had a bar called The GegenÜber in the middle of Bielefeld, right next to a large skatepark. My bar is a melting pot for a wide variety of characters, music, skateboarding, art, all that kind of thing. A look at the facade explains more than a thousand words and the interior of the shop is also characterized by DIY style and a certain punk rock attitude. I wanted to transfer the heart and soul of the GGÜ to the Chameleon from which it became the Barmeleon. The paint was done by the graffiti artist who designed the bar [@ProPhret]

When I started thinking about this bike the first thing in my mind was the song by Orange Goblin – Monkey Panic

“Now it's time for you to run,
Got the fear, so get your gun,
Drink your whiskey, drink your wine,
Take your pills and come inside,
Chaos falling all around,
Monkey tearing up the town,
People running for their lives,
Armageddon's here tonight.”

Basically my biography has been completely interwoven with cycling since I saw the Hoffman Bikes video "Until monkeys fly" on VHS tape at a friend's house in 1998, and especially the street part of Mike Escamilla. I would describe myself as highly addicted to biking. I associate so many great people, friends, trips, spots, injuries and constant progression with cycling. Then, at some point, actually inspired by my younger brother, who is a huge inspiration to me, I got into mountain biking and discovered my love for it. It’s a substitute for BMX riding.

Since I saw the video with Craig Evans (The Steel City’s chameleon), I've been a fan of his shredding style, but also of the bike. I actually dreamed of basically flowing all of my trails with this kind of bike and sure in myself that it must feel damn good. Both to flow my home trails, manual through the city and to send jumps.

Myia Antone’s Medicine Finder

My bike has taken me to places that previously I’d only visited in dreams. Places where our stories come from and where medicine was harvested by my ancestors. My mountain biking journey started during the peak of the COVID19 pandemic, which meant I was riding alone – a lot. However, I knew I was never really alone. I was constantly surrounded by the trees and plants that sustained my community for thousands of years. In many ways, my bike allows me to time travel to quiet moments where I can be with my ancestors.

It’s hard for me to separate mountain biking from plant harvesting, I find so many similarities between the two. Biking teaches me how far my legs really can take me, how to get back up after a fall, and that everyone looks better with a little bit of dirt on them. Plants teach me that we can all grow and thrive in different environments, you can’t judge someone or something based off of one season and you grow stronger the deeper your roots. If anything, the two seem pretty interchangeable.

My understanding of our relationship to land is that it is an extension of ourselves. We love and respect the land as our kin, and understand that the world will teach you everything if you look long enough. I was taught the forest was our pharmacy - when we were sick, that is where we would go for our medicine. Today, I think of mountain biking as medicine in the forest too. The ups and downs bring healing to every inch of my body, and I always come home with a smile as big as can be

Today, I am finding new ways to do old things. My ancestors have been harvesting from these lands and waters since time out of mind. I follow in their footsteps, but sometimes my feet just happen to be on pedals. My bike brings me to hidden patches of wild strawberries and devil’s club galore. I bring my backpack for snacks, bike tools and space to fill with plants to take home. How did I get so lucky to have a beautiful territory that is also world famous for its bike trails? I am rich in love and beauty from my time spent on the land. However, wealth also means having enough to give away. How do I embody the teaching of reciprocity within mountain biking? How do we give back to a sport that gives us so much?

Today, Indigenous Women Outdoors is how I give back to my communities. We offer programming for Indigenous women and non-binary folks to come out together on the land, partake in mentorships and try new outdoor activities. We have so much to share with the outdoor community, and it is finally time to listen.

Myia Antone is a youth from Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (the Squamish Nation) and is based in her hometown of Squamish, BC. She is a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim (Squamish language) lifelong learner and teacher and is passionate about land-based education and language revitalization. She is the founder of Indigenous Women Outdoors - a community-led organization that supports Indigenous women and non-binary community members get back out on the land.

Eric Ackermann’s Pink Space Goblin

My friends call me Baby Legs Eric.

I work in the warranty department of the SCB Factory and have been with the company for over 11 years.

If you’ve ever requested something from our factory it was probably me that fulfilled it. You’re welcome. The only thing that interests me is the absurd and keeping life as simple as possible. I have two important tenets that I base my life around: 1. Don’t be a picky eater and 2. Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut.

I wanted to get down to basics and turn it into a single speed bike to bomb around town. I was really into the color of the frame and thought pink would be the loudest contrast. It makes the bike look like it just came out of a comic book. I spend a lot of my free time illustrating and have gotten really into digital art so I knew I had to create some custom decals to slap all over it. Being able to cover one of my favorite bikes in artwork I drew was definitely my favorite thing.

I ride this bike all over Salinas, crushing burritos and Jarrito soda waters. I plan on building one just like it for my wife so we can take our dogs on adventures.

Paint: I kept the original yellow since I love it so much.
Frame size: Medium Frame
Mods: Left as is since I didn’t want to mess up the natural build of the bike.
Fork: Yup, it’s got one.
Amount of airs in the bouncy bit at the front? A whole bunch
Number of gears: NONE
Which side do you have the rear brake on? Right side.
Wheel size(s): 29 in front 27.5 in rear
Tire pressure: A whole bunch
Tire type: Somewhere between hella chunky and smooth as smooth peanut butter

Mike Hill’s Tool Carrying Tool

My friends call me Mike. I build BMX frames for my company called Deathpack BMX.

I owe my passion for bikes to my dad. He had me surrounded by bikes for as long as I can remember and riding as soon as possible. I can't imagine life without bikes, be it pedal powered or motorized, there's nothing like it.

This is an off-road workhorse to carry tools to the trails through the winter from my van down a two mile single track to the bottom of a wood where the jumps are. It's like a swamper truck or winter hack. This bike is a tool. I go knock about on it, push iron, move dirt.

Paint: non
Frame size: medium
Frame mods: brackets and racks to carry panniers luggage and tools, etched frame logos and patina raw finish
Amount of airs in the bouncy bit at the front? Maximum
Number of gears: All of them.
Brakes, yes or no? Yes but maybe just back
Which side do you have the rear brake on? Right
Wheel size(s): 29 front, 27.5 rear. It’s a skullet
Tire pressure: 50psi
Tire type: Fat as possible and somewhere in between knobby and dirt tiller.