With the 2022 Santa Cruz Chameleon you can have plenty of different mountain bike flavoured cakes and have a great time eating all of them
The new Santa Cruz Chameleon is a very 2022 bike. It may not have an idler or a rearward axle path – which is a trick even the best hardtail mountain bikes struggle to offer – but it is very much about choices.
![2022 Santa Cruz Chameleon R MX in Gloss Navy Blue](https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2021/10/my22_chameleon_d_mx_blue.jpg)
2022 Santa Cruz Chameleon R MX in Gloss Navy Blue
Santa Cruz Chameleon need to know
- 130mm travel fork
- 29in or mullet MX wheels
- 2.5in rear tyres on all models
- Aluminium only
- Adjustable dropouts for geometry tweaking (yes, and singlespeeding)
- Triple bolt ‘cargo cage’ option on down tube.
- Sizes: S, M, L, XL
- US pricing: $2,399 to £3,749
- UK pricing TBA
![Triple-bolt cargo cage mount under the downtube](https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2021/10/MY22_Cham_Details_011.jpg)
Triple-bolt cargo cage mount under the downtube
Santa Cruz’s own typically florid marketing bumf states: “Backyard trail thrashing and backcountry soul-searching … Wherever and whatever you can imagine.”Mixed-wheel MX mullet play-bike, singlespeed pure-AF pain-wagon, short-forked dirtjumper or trail bike 29er.
![The low slung top tube](https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2021/10/MY22_Cham_Details_010.jpg)
The low slung top tube
Despite all these showroom options, we’d wager that 99% of these new Chameleons will be run as the full 29er trail bike option. This is not to do the Chameleon down. Not at all. It’s more a testament to how versatile and uncompromised a modern 29er mountain bike can be.
![2.5in tyre clearance no matter what diameter you go for](https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2021/10/MY22_Cham_Details_004.jpg)
2.5in tyre clearance no matter what diameter you go for
From a UK perspective (the country that has arguably most taken the Chameleon to its heart over the years, nay decades), one of these Chameleon will perform great as a trail bike, a bikepacking bike, an XC bike and will even be fine being piloted down the occasional off-piste enduro line or two. And all of that without really requiring any component changes (bar suitable tyres, obviously). Some set-up tweaks and that’s that. Off you go.
![Tweaky dropouts](https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2021/10/MY22_Cham_Details_007.jpg)
Tweaky dropouts
The geometry, whilst being by far the most capable Chameleon we’ve seen to date, is nothing if not conservative. 65° head angle, 74.1° seat angle, 465mm reach (Large) are all non-scary numbers for mass market mountain bikers but are not so retro as to be hampering the potential of the bike.
![Internal cable routing will go down well with backpackers](https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2021/10/MY22_Cham_Details_009.jpg)
Internal cable routing will go down well with backpackers
The BB isn’t too high (315mm) and the standover is really generous (686mm on a Large), which are two crucial geo numbers not to fudge on a hardtail. The standover in particular means it’s very possible for a rider to size-up to get the reach figure they may desire without being (literally) saddled by a frame that’s too tall.