Review

High evolved foldie | CAMP CHAMELEON

CAMP CHAMELEON (SKY) foldable bicycle right (Nick)

Chameleons are a species of very highly evolved lizards that are capable of adapting, blending and camouflaging themselves into their immediate surroundings by changing the colour of their skin, they do this by controlling the pigments in their skin which then varies their skin colouration and patterns. Much like the lizard, MOBOT’s brand new folding bike model, CAMP CHAMELEON, is also actually an evolved version of their flagship highly popular folding bike, CAMP GOLD, which I also had the privilege of testing and reviewing it last year.

CAMP CHAMELEON SKY foldable bicycle gold freewheel 2 Nick scaled - High evolved foldie | CAMP CHAMELEON

IMPROVEMENT

This latest iteration, is a considerable upgrade and improvement over the previous already solid performing folding bike, let’s start with the basics. For a folding bike, the CAMP GOLD was already considered quite a lightweight when it tipped the weighing scales at just 12.8 kilograms, but for the CAMP CHAMELEON, they managed to shave off another 900 grams, which is quite an achievement, considering that many other high end carbon fibre road bike manufacturers spend bundles of money to research and design ways and methods to shave off double digits in weight. This foldie is still fitted with a 10 speed setup, but this time the largest cog has been swapped out for a much more familiar gearing ratio, an 11–28T cassette, which provides a very familiar gearing feel to many road bike riders who had previously used a similar 10 speed cassette, the front chainring size has been kept the same as the 56T crank provides the best selection of gearing ratios to suit the majority of cycling terrains that we might encounter in Singapore, even steeper gradients and hills and be easily climbed when dropped to the largest 28T cog.

CAMP CHAMELEON SKY foldable bicycle rear hydraulic brakes Nick scaled - High evolved foldie | CAMP CHAMELEON

What goes up must somehow go down too right? Similarly what goes fast still need to have their speed controlled at some point in time, therefore braking is easily handled by large 160mm rotors with TEKTRO HB-M285 hydraulic brakes clamping down onto them, braking control and force is excellent as with any hydraulic braking setup, frictionless and smooth feel and strong braking power.

CAMP CHAMELEON SKY foldable bicycle half rightNick scaled - High evolved foldie | CAMP CHAMELEON

The CAMP CHAMELEON folding frame, fork, handlebar and seat post is made using high strength CAMP High Performance Aluminium Composite which not only makes it corrosion resistant, but light in weight with a high strength to weight ratio as well. All the folding mechanisms, clamps and locks are also well built and locks the frame very solidly when unfolded, 20”x1–3/8 (37–451) tyres fitted over 35mm profile rims provide a good balance of comfort, aerodynamics and lightweight to handle everyday leisure rides as well as any strenuous riding workout that you might want to engage in with this very capable folding bike.

CAMP CHAMELEON SKY foldable bicycle folded angled left Nick scaled - High evolved foldie | CAMP CHAMELEON

BUILT TO LAST

The CAMP CHAMELEON comes with a 5 years warranty for the frame with normal usage, and standard 1 year warranty for the rest of the parts excluding wear and tear parts such as, but not limited to, brake pads and tyres. There are 3 beautiful colours available, Mulberry is a purplish colour, Sandstone is a gold like colour and Sky is a metallic pastel blue colour, all colours are simply beautiful, not your common run of the mill basic colour shade. You are also able to separately purchase a special bag that clips onto the front of the bike, which omits the need for a rear rack and specifically designed pannier bags. This folding bike will not disappoint with regards to overall build quality, componentry and performance.