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Chameleon

Chameleon

You can tell a lot about a bike from the riding position. As soon as you jump on the Chameleon you want to nestle down on the drops, stick your bum in the air and go for it. This is an ultralight performance bike. The strong, oversized, ovalised mono-tube frame is crafted from 7005 aluminium tubing, a high quality aircraft-grade alloy used on high-end bikes. Rust free. The relatively large (compared to compact folders) 24 wheels combine with the cleverly balanced frame geometry to give a tight, responsive and comfortable ride.

And it folds. Not the sleight-of-hand metamorphosis from bike to small package type of fold, but the Chameleon folds quickly and easily into a small enough size to fit two of them into the boot of a car. With a bit more effort, by removing both wheels you can fit the entire bike into a case measuring 58cm x 58cm x 29cm (24 x 24 x 11.5), and with further application the Chameleon can be folded so compactly that it will fit into an aircraft hand-luggage case 56cm x 36cm x 20cm (22 x 14 x 8)!

It also makes a great touring bike. Cycle to the airport, pack the frame into the handluggage case, trust the wheels and accessories to the baggage handlers, and youre off. On landing, grab the wheels etc off the carousel, and minutes later youre back on the road certainly beats looking for a taxi or a hire car.

Its worth changing to a wider tyre to get that extra comfort on long rides. And for heavier loads, its worth opting for the aluminium front fork instead of the carbon fibre version, so you can also fit a front rack to go with the specially designed rear rack. The Chameleon is available as standard in various handlebar and component configurations, but Airnimal will customize bikes to suit.

Manufacturer

While Yap Fook Fah was studying Engineering at Cambridge University he met Richard Loke, a keen ultra-distance rider and co-editor of the British recumbent magazine, Recumbent UK, and soon became fascinated by many aspects of cycling. With his engineering background, that fascination quickly developed into a desire to improve and develop aspects of bicycle design, and the two spent several years experimenting with ideas and prototypes to form the design philosophy behind Airnimal Bikes. Fellow cycling enthusiast and CAD specialist Ong Jyh Jian soon joined the team, and they worked together to bring their vision of high performance, easily-transportable cycles to production. The first Airnimal Bikes were born in 1998.

Animal Bikes
61 Mulberry Close

Cambridge

CB4 2AS
UK

phone: +44 (0)1223 523973
fax: +44 (0)1223 523973
email: info@airnimal.com
web: www.airnimal.com

Author

Alan Davidson

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