The carbon Santa Cruz Chameleon C is offered as a frame only for $1,599, in S or S+ builds for $3,799, or SE/SE+ for $5,699. I’ll also be trying it out with 27.5+ wheels, so stay tuned for more there. We’re testing the Carbon Chameleon setup in 29er mode, but as you can see in the photos below, there looks to be a lot of clearance.
#Santa cruz chameleon plus
Note that Santa Cruz also switches from a 120mm fork to 130mm in the plus tire builds to maintain the same angles. This interchangeable system enables the Chameleon to maintain the same frame geometry and the BB height regardless of wheel size.
There are four different swappable dropouts: Boost 27.5+, Boost 29er, 142×12 Singlespeed 27.5+, and 142×12 Singlespeed 29er. 29er, 27.5+, and/or SinglespeedĪs with the 2017/2018 alloy version, the Carbon Chameleon can be set up as a 29er or 27.5+, geared or single-speed via the same clever modular dropouts, each with a built in chain tensioner. The new Carbon Chameleon also gets a triple-pack of bottle bosses under the downtube, a nice touch for added utility. Other frame features include internal cable routing up front that goes external at the rear end. There are a few other minor tweaks, such as a 4mm shorter reach and a 3mm higher stack, but otherwise, it’s generally the same creature, aside from the build. The C also has a slightly shorter reach and a hair slacker head tube angle, resulting in an 8mm longer wheelbase. Although I haven’t tried the aluminum version, I’ve found the current clearance to be spot on. Most notably, the Carbon Chameleon got an 8mm higher bottom bracket. Nothing major, but they did cut a few millimeters here and add a few more there. However, it turns out that Santa Cruz fiddled under the hood with Chameleon C’s geometry for number eight.
#Santa cruz chameleon full
What’s Changed?Īside from the fact that the new Chameleon C has a snazzy bronze/blue paint scheme, one might think Santa Cruz simply remolded the 2017 aluminum version in full carbon.
Is the Chameleon C the ideal bikepacking hardtail for races such as the Colorado Trail and AZT? A very strong maybe.
It’s designed around an unassuming 120mm travel fork-130mm in Plus mode-but with a relatively slack front-end and a long stance, it feels more like trail bike than the fork might exude. So what exactly is the Santa Cruz Chameleon C, and who’s it for? In essence, it’s a high-end trail hardtail aimed to hit a storybook sweet spot between lightweight XC bike and rowdy tough trail rig. We never got a chance to try one, but Santa Cruz recently sent us a demo of the eighth edition, which carries over the 27.5+/29er capability as the Carbon Chameleon (Chameleon C). To do so, it featured swappable dropouts that enabled it to run 29er or 27.5+ tires equally well. Released in 2017, the aluminum seventh version was designed to change its colors from a trail hardtail to a bikepacking steed, according to Santa Cruz. Since then, the Chameleon has evolved a few times (eight, to be exact), but it’s always been all about versatility. The original was created to morph between a freeride hardtail and single speed XC rig, and everything in between–hence the name. Originally released back in the mid-late 90s, the Santa Cruz Chameleon (aka Tin Lizard) has seen several upgrades and reiterations over the years.
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