Supreme x Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum
The original behind the Supreme x Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum is the Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum — $1599 retail vs Supreme's $2698.
Supreme vs. Original
Supreme version
About the original
The Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum is a hardtail mountain bike built around 27.5-inch plus-size wheels, a Fox 34 suspension fork with 130mm of travel, and interchangeable rear dropouts that let the frame accept either 27.5+ or 29-inch wheel-and-tire setups. Santa Cruz Bicycles was founded in 1993 in Santa Cruz, California, by Rob Roskopp, Mike Marquez, and Rich Novak. Roskopp originally came out of the NHS/Santa Cruz Skateboards side of the company. The Chameleon is Santa Cruz's entry-level hardtail and has been in production for over two decades. The FW2018 Supreme collab applied a co-branded paint job to the same frame, retailing at $2,698 against the stock Chameleon's $1,599.
About Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Skateboards is the oldest continuously operating skateboard brand in the world, founded in 1973 in Santa Cruz, California by Richard Novak, Doug Haut, and Jay Shuirman, whose initials form parent company NHS, Inc. The brand began when a Hawaiian distributor asked NHS to fulfill an order of 500 fiberglass boards using surfboard-shop scrap. NHS later spun off Independent Trucks and Road Rider Wheels. Jim Phillips became art director and drew the Screaming Hand logo in 1985, now one of skateboarding's most reproduced graphics. Supreme has collaborated with Santa Cruz on co-branded decks.
Price comparison
| Supreme retail | $2698 |
|---|---|
| Santa Cruz retail | $1599 |
| Hype tax | +69% |
Questions
Is the Supreme x Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum just the regular Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum?
The Supreme x Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum, released in Fall/Winter 2018, is based on the Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum. Supreme collabs sometimes change the colorway or materials; the description on this page covers the original's specs and any notable differences in the Supreme version. If you want the product without the box logo, the Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum is the one to buy.
How much cheaper is the Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum than the Supreme version?
Supreme charged $2698 for the Supreme x Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum; the Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum retails for $1599. That's a 69% markup — buying the original saves you $1099, or 41% off the Supreme price. Buy the original at retail and you skip the hype tax entirely.
Where can I buy the Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum?
You can buy the Santa Cruz Chameleon 27.5+ D Aluminum from Santa Cruz Bicycles. Retail price is $1599. The buy links on this page go straight to the product listing at each retailer.
