Santa Cruz Butcher
The Butcher is a new model from Santa Cruz Bicycles that slots in right between the classic Heckler and the VPP-equipped Nomad, and has tapped into the ride characteristics of both frames to provide a new option for riders looking at a versatile All Mountain bike. Combining the snappy pedalling of the single pivot design and small-bump compliance of the VPP suspension, the Butcher pumps out 150mm of rear travel via the APP design in a confident handling package that will take you uphill in order to really enjoy the downs. The Butchers extra travel gives the rider better stability on rough terrain, especially when taking to the air, and feels more at home the harder and faster you push it. Like the Heckler, the Butcher uses a massive 15mm Oversized alloy main pivot axle that runs on sealed Angular Contact bearings for stiffness and bearing durability, and a Tapered head tube up front increases strength and steering responsiveness. The addition of ISCG05 tabs continues the frames versatility theme, giving riders the option of fitting a chain device or the Hammerschmidt gear system. Although the Butcher comes stock with a very capable air shock, you can fit on a coil shock if you so desire, and likewise up front the frame will work with both the lighter 150mm QR15 forks on the market, or the bigger 160mm QR20 forks if your riding is more gravity orientated. One of the more versatile options in the Santa Cruz Bike range, the Butcher is a tough workhorse designed to operate on a wide variety of terrain for a wide variety of riders.

From Santa Cruz:

“Way up in the Sierras near Downieville, California, is a trail that leads into more than 5,000 feet of descending during a sixteen-mile feast of singletrack. Along the way, riders encounter frenzied rock gardens, brake searing straights between tight switchbacks, jarring compressions, flowing turns, sphincter puckering transitions into cliffside traverses, and some of the fastest ripping, tree-lined singletrack anywhere in the world. Superb suspension, strong pedaling legs, a tough bike, and a relaxed grip all count for a lot here. The name of that trail is Butcher Ranch. We named this bike, with six inches of abuse-hungry APP suspension and a frame designed to be shown the meaning of tough love, in it's honour.”

Actual Pivot Point
The new Nickel and Butcher models both share the brand new suspension design from the brains at Santa Cruz, which is called APP, or Actual Pivot Point. In a nutshell, the ethos behind APP was to combine the simplicity and pedal efficiency of their single pivot bikes with the suspension-absorbing characteristics of their VPP bikes, and hit a pricepoint in between the two. With the same high forward main pivot location as the Heckler/Superlight bikes, the APP design maintains the inherent stability and reactivity of the original single pivot models. However, Santa Cruz add in two small links between the swingarm and the rear shock, which manipulates how the shock is compressed as the suspension cycles through the range of travel. This means the early part of the APP suspension is able to respond to small bump forces more readily, while having enough progression towards the end of the travel to resist bottom-out from jump landings and hard G-outs. Additional suspension control with the inherent snappy pedalling from the single pivot design - that is APP.
 
Sizing
- Small: Suits riders between 5' and 5'5"
- Medium: Suits riders between 5'5" and 5'10"
- Large: Suits riders between 5'10" and 6'2"
- X Large: Suits riders between 6'2" and 6'5"

Frame Geometry:




The Santa Cruz Butcher features:

• Lightweight Hydroformed Aluminum frame
• 150mm rear travel
• Designed for 150-160mm travel forks
• Sealed Angular Contact pivot bearings with Oversized pivot axle
• Fox Float RL rear shock or Fox Float RP23 Kashima Boost Valve rear shock
• Tapered Headtube
• Seatpost diameter: 30.9mm
• Seatclamp included with frame
• Front Derailleur Spec: Low Clamp, Top Pull, 34.9mm diameter
• Weight: 3060 grams (6.73 lbs) with shock