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And, mixed wheel sizes are nothing new in the two-wheel game. Mixed-wheel bikes are becoming more and more common among the enduro crowd these days, but this phenomenon still isn’t common on production mountain bikes. Santa Cruz sent us the Chameleon MX to test, because, why not!? It’s easy to assume that MX stands for mixed, although this trend is probably better known as a mullet (or reverse mullet). To preemptively wrangle the elephant in the room, the 2022 Santa Cruz Chameleon comes in two main variations: a “29” model with 29 x 2.5” tires and the “MX” version with a 27.5 x 2.5” tire on the back and a 29 x 2.5” up front. Either way, the latest Chameleon frame carries on its lineage with the ability to work for a range of disciplines and be set up in multiple configurations. All this moves it toward a more aggressive side of the hardtail spectrum. The V9 Chameleon has substantially divergent angles, loud colors, and the super power to transform from a rowdy singlespeed or trail 29er to an ultra-shreddy mixed-wheel mullet bike. It still has the underlying intention of being multiple bikes in one, but the ninth-generation Chameleon is a different animal than the previous version I tested. That makes me wonder if Santa Cruz’s interpretation of the word Chameleon might be homonymic-making it just as much about metamorphosis as it is about adaptation. Max Tire Size: 29 x 2.6” or 27.5 x 2.8″Ĭontinuing that trend, the Santa Cruz Chameleon just underwent another major permutation that runs deeper than its fresh yellow paint.Bottom Bracket: 73mm BSA, 40mm drop (MX).Since then, the Chameleon has undergone several transmutations, the last of which-the seventh-generation 2017 alloy model and the eighth-gen 2019 carbon version-were designed to shapeshift from a trail hardtail or a singlespeed 29er to a plus-tire bikepacking rig via swappable pivoting dropouts. It could morph from a “freeride hardtail” to a singlespeed XC rig and back again via a sliding dropout.
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The original aluminum Chameleon played on that idea by allowing its owners to adapt it to how and where they were riding. Chameleons do this to signal a mate, assert dominance, or regulate body temperature and adapt to a changing environment-the latter statement is most apropos to the name choice.
#SANTA CRUZ CHAMELEON SKIN#
The trope is obviously based on its namesake’s ability to change skin coloring. Since it was released way back in ‘97, the Chameleon has always been about adaptation. Of course, the bike’s not named for its flashy colors.
#SANTA CRUZ CHAMELEON FULL#
It’s pretty vivid, without a doubt, though in full disclosure, I’m colorblind (or color-challenged), and perceived the magenta lettering as teal when I first saw it, hence the correlation.
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That’s the first thing I thought of when I unboxed the new 2022 Santa Cruz Chameleon. They’re peculiar and fantastic creatures with a contemplative stare and kaleidoscopic coloring of green, bright yellow, and aqua tones that change based on their mood and environment. We found several of these endemic wonders in the wild near the Rwenzori Mountains and were shown another by a young gentleman outside the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. I was obsessed with the Rwenzori three-horned chameleon when we were bikepacking through Uganda back in 2016 (pictured below).
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