FIVE RIDERS' RIDES

We gave new Chameleons to five very different riders and this is how they built them up...

Swanee Ravonison working on her custom Chameleon 8

A stripped raw bikepacking rig

Mike Hill loading tools to his custom Chameleon 8

A tool carrying mule

Myia Antone holding her custom Chameleon 8 and staring at a tree

A mountain time machine

Sven Busse standing next to his custom Chameleon 8

A BMXer's getaway bike

Eric Ackermann adding a downtube decal to his custom Chameleon 8

Singlespeed burrito getter

BUILT FOR... WHATEVER

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.

2022 Chameleon Aluminum Hardtail Frame on a Workbench

SWANEE'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.

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.

Sobriety never goes out of fashion and the details of the treatment are so subtle that it cannot be covered at a glance.

As soon as the bike was ready I climbed a steep hill, jumped off the sidewalks and did a long sprint as a dancer.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Paint: No paint

Frame size: Medium Frame mods: Chameleon x Pariah

Fork: CEC #485 carbone

Fork pressure: None

Number of gears: 1x12

Shifter: SRAM NX Eagle 12s

Cassette: SRAM Eagle, 11-50t

Rims: RF 19 AR Offset 30 29"

Rim 32H GRY

Brakes, yes or no? Avid BB7 cable disc brakes

Discs: Avid Centerline Rotor 180mm

Which side do you have the rear brake on? Left

Cranks: SRAM Descendant

Bar: Burgtec 30mm Rise Alloy Bar, 35x800

Stem: Burgtec Enduro Stem 35x42mm

Seatpost: Thomson Elite

Wheel size(s): MX

Tires: Schwalbe Smart Sam Performance

Tire pressure: Between 2 to 2.5 bars

Tire type: Ultra polyvalent.

The difficulty of a climb and the adrenaline of a descent makes an outing unforgettable!

Bikepacking with the Chameleon and Lights

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 motorised, there's nothing like it.

MIKE HILL'S TOOL CARRYING MULE

Mike Hill using the Chameleon to Carry Tools

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.

This is like a swamper truck or winter hack.

This bike is a tool, it’s a go to knock about push iron that helps me move dirt

Trail Building Tools Attached to the Chameleon

Paint: none

Frame size: medium

Frame mods: brackets and racks to carry panniers luggage and tools, etched frame logos and patina raw finish

Fork: stock

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.

Riding a Wheelie on the Chameleon Hardtail

This is like a swamper truck or winter hack. This bike is a tool.

Riding a Chameleon Hardtail at the Dirt Jumps

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.

MYIA ANTONE: FINDING THE MEDICINE

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.

My bike has taken me to places that previously I’d only visited in dreams

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.

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.

Yellow Chameleon Leaning Against Wood Wall

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.

SVEN BUSSE'S BARMELEON

Two Riders Looking at Custom Painted Chameleon 8

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]

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.

Paint: painted by one of the graffiti artists who designed parts of the bar

Artist Fred on Instagram - @ProPhret

I would describe myself as highly addicted to biking.

Jumping the Chameleon Hardtail at Dirt Jumps

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.”

Eric Ackermann standing next to his custom Chameleon 8

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.

MY FRIENDS CALL ME BABY LEGS ERIC

Eric Ackermann riding his custom built hardtail

Eric Ackermann working at the Santa Cruz factory

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.