Santa Cruz Bicycles

Chameleon Carbon 27.5 Plus Mountain Bike Frame

The Chameleon is Santa Cruz's longest-running model, serving as a staple in their lineup for well over 20 years. The original design released in the 90's spanned the gap between freeride hardtail and XC race rig, but over time it has evolved into a do-it-all hardtail trail bike. The current generation retains the playful handling and unrivaled versatility that the Chameleon is known for, but Santa Cruz now offers a carbon fiber frame that delivers a snappier, more responsive ride while dropping 250-grams of weight compared to the aluminum version. The geometry remains largely the same as the aluminum bike, but the lighter and faster frame will help you to cover ground more quickly and efficiently, while ensuring that you'll enjoy the outstanding ride quality and superior durability that Santa Cruz carbon frames are known for. In addition, Santa Cruz incorporates triple-bolt cargo cage mounts under the downtube for enhanced carrying capacity, making the carbon Chameleon an ideal choice for bikepacking enthusiasts or riders that prefer to ride without a pack. This particular frame, the Chameleon Carbon 27.5 Plus Mountain Bike Frame, comes equipped to run 27.5+ wheels and tires and features geared dropouts that are ready to be fitted with your favorite single-ring drivetrain.

From backcountry epics to backyard jump sessions, the Chameleon is easily adaptable to suit its environment. With a low-slung bottom bracket and moderately slack geometry, this bike handles tricky descents and the occasional day at the bike park, but is equally at home racking up serious miles on an all-day sufferfest, too. It's offered here as a 27.5+ trail bike for voluminous traction and greater compliance over rugged trails with its plus-sized tires, but it can be run as a fast-rolling 29er with its interchangeable dropouts. Also, these interchangeable dropouts allow you to swap out the gears for single-speed use, should you desire a no-nonsense drivetrain that teaches you to focus on technique and channeling raw power to clean those tough climbs and technical sections of trail. Note, you'll have to purchase separate dropouts from Santa Cruz if you want to change wheel sizes or convert to singlespeed use.

This Chameleon frame uses Carbon C construction, which takes advantage of Santa Cruz's most advanced carbon fiber layup techniques in conjunction with heavy-duty raw carbon materials. As we mentioned above, Santa Cruz frames are known for their exceptional durability and a supremely precise and comfortable ride, and they come with a lifetime warranty for additional peace of mind. They also use a standard threaded bottom bracket, eliminating the creaks and groans that plague press fit systems while making them easy to service by a home mechanic.