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Post your Butchers & Nickels!

345K views 2K replies 249 participants last post by  Shawn in da Canyon 
#1 ·
Let's see these sexy beasts!

I'll Start:

Butcher R AM w/ Fox Float 32 in the front



And here's the mutilator with Mt Tamalpais in the background- sun glare kinda missed up the pic :(

 
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#887 ·
I have an xfusion hlr coil on mine, costs over a hundy less than a fox . Imo its a better shock, I think recent fox shocks are overdamped. I run a rockshox vivid on my blindside and it just rules on the downhill, and theyre around $360 so that could be something to look into.. It seems to maybe not pedal/climb quite as good as the xfusion, but that could be teh difference between the bikes. the butcher climbs so well for such a plush bike.
 
#888 ·
Well my frame comes Friday and I can't wait, so I'm going to post a teaser.



I do need to build the wheels first, but hopefully I should be rolling early next week. Bonus points for anybody that identifies the object behind the bike parts.
 
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#1,132 ·
So, just got off the phone with Santa Cruz...asked a few questions, here were the answers:

Q. What's the REAL reason for discontinuing the Nickel and Butcher?

A. They simply were not selling....Seems they sold more low cost build Blurs than high cost build Nickels and Butchers....and that they have lowered the prices a bit of the vpp bikes to further push those models. He added that they were huge fans of the Nickels geometry and shock stroke/rate moreso than the Butcher.

Q. Why do some Nickels have straight down tubes and some curved?


A. The older style,( the 1.0 he referred to it as) with the curved downtube and welded on gussett was considerably more money for Santa Cruz to produce instead of drilling the downtube and welding in a mount. He added that the newer style is a tid bit lighter but gives up a bottle mount. He said the geometry is exactly the same as far as the ride is concerned. He added that there actually are some fans of the block letter design on the new ones. He admittedly added that he liked the traditional italicized letter style better.

Q. Why no 142 rear on these frames but does have tapered head tube?

A. He stated frame was super stiff back there with no links close to the dropouts and the traditional ones open you up to more hubs available at the time of production. He said the DT Swiss 10mm fits fine and works similar to the 12mm Maxle.

Q. Why do some frames come with bottle opener derailleur hangers and some dont?

A. He said there was no good reason for this and that the vendor/bike shop usually has both on hand and to request which one you like. Most do not have the bottle opener according to his words.

Super nice people and great Customer Service.....they are sending me a bottle opener hanger free of charge as well as some stickers,etc.....This is my 4th new Santa Cruz so I guess I'm deserving!
 
#1,133 ·
So, just got off the phone with Santa Cruz...asked a few questions, here were the answers:

Q. What's the REAL reason for discontinuing the Nickel and Butcher?

A. They simply were not selling....Seems they sold more low cost build Blurs than high cost build Nickels and Butchers....and that they have lowered the prices a bit of the vpp bikes to further push those models. He added that they were huge fans of the Nickels geometry and shock stroke/rate moreso than the Butcher.

Q. Why do some Nickels have straight down tubes and some curved?

A. The older style,( the 1.0 he referred to it as) with the curved downtube and welded on gussett was considerably more money for Santa Cruz to produce instead of drilling the downtube and welding in a mount. He added that the newer style is a tid bit lighter but gives up a bottle mount. He said the geometry is exactly the same as far as the ride is concerned. He added that there actually are some fans of the block letter design on the new ones. He admittedly added that he liked the traditional italicized letter style better.

Q. Why no 142 rear on these frames but does have tapered head tube?

A. He stated frame was super stiff back there with no links close to the dropouts and the traditional ones open you up to more hubs available at the time of production. He said the DT Swiss 10mm fits fine and works similar to the 12mm Maxle.

Q. Why do some frames come with bottle opener derailleur hangers and some dont?

A. He said there was no good reason for this and that the vendor/bike shop usually has both on hand and to request which one you like. Most do not have the bottle opener according to his words.

Super nice people and great Customer Service.....they are sending me a bottle opener hanger free of charge as well as some stickers,etc.....This is my 4th new Santa Cruz so I guess I'm deserving!
That is awesome! Nice work!
 
#1,551 ·
Hurt my back and have been off work for three months. Headed back to work this weekend, and hopefully can get back on a bike!

I had sold my Nickel a few months ago and got a Butcher. I love how well the Nickel rips around, and how small and light it seems when riding. But on the bigger stuff it just wasn't enough. I had the Nickel in the Medium, and this Butcher is a large. We'll see how I like the extra wheelbase.

You were a good bike, Mr Nickel. :)


Waiting on a fork so I can try out the Butcher.


Cut down a Blur protector:


Also built up a new Jeep to haul the kid and bikes around in on the weekends. A classic!
 
#1,628 ·
I definitely had this problem with my butcher. Theres a number of threads about the issue--basically they used the same bolt/pin as other designs and there were too many threads on it, resulting in a bearing riding on threads.

If you take the pin out you'll probably see worn down threads.

They've revised the part and should send you one free, if you contact willie (willie@santacruzbicycles.com)

http://forums.mtbr.com/santa-cruz/butcher-nickel-owners-read-784674.html

They sent me a new one right away, easy to install, completely fixed the problem for me.
 
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#5 ·
2011 Santa Cruz Butcher

Here's my new Butcher;

Med Frame w/ Fox RP23
Fox36 Talas RLC 160mm Taper
Mavic Crossmax SX Wheelset
Truvativ Stylo OCT 170mm 24-36T Crank
E.13 TurboCharger Bashguard
XO Shifters & Rr. Der.
XT Ft. Der & Cassette
Avid Elixir R SL Brakes w/ XX 185mm Rotors
Specialized S-Works Eskar 2.3 Tubeless Tires
Chris King Taper Headset
Easton MonkeyLite XC Low Rise Bars
Thomson 70mm Stem / 0 Offset Seatpost
WTB Silverado Seat
Crank Bros. Acid pedals
Santa Cruz Peaty Lock-On grips

Complete Weight: 29 lbs

Wheel Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle wheel Bicycle fork


Bicycle tire Tire Wheel Bicycle frame Bicycle wheel rim
 
#12 ·
utahgeoff said:
I don't think there are that many out there either.
Ive been waiting for mine for 5 weeks now.
Paid for it in full 2 weeks ago hoping that that would magically get it here faster.
I imagine you'll be quite happy once you hit the trails. Can't comment on the Nickel, but the I swear they gave the Butcher it's name because it carves up trails. This bike is like a slingshot coming out of turns. Be sure to give us a trail report once you're bike comes in! What color did you order?
 
#14 ·
Hey Haus, tell us how your Butcher is going mate. You intial review two weeks ago was a little tainted by the heat and a light head, if I remember correctly. Have you had a good run on it now, what's your opinion, what are the strengths that you can see so far...., give us something to drool over.

Thanks
 
#15 ·
Just got back from a nice 10 mile ride today. Let me tell you man, I LOVE THIS BIKE. I find myself going down technical terrain so much faster than I could have imagined before. The butcher totally carves up technical fire roads and trails alike. I haven't hucked it off any 4' + jumps/drops just yet, but I've ridden down some really gnarley rock gardens, over nasty roots, and washed out trails pretty damn fast and the butcher just eats it all up like it's an appetizer. Climbing can be a challenge on steeper ascents, but that's a given with the bike's geometry. I've also been riding with flats since I day 1 on the Butcher. I plan on throwing my clipless pedals on sometime soon and I have a feeling this is gonna make a big difference when tackling some of those 25 + degree ascents and more technical s/t. Also, I'd prefer to ride my h/t stumpjumper when riding really narrow trails less than 18" in width. I was on a couple today on a really steep hillside. Because of the slack head tube angle, the bike goes where ever you point it- even with the slightest movement/adjustment. Not so good on the super narrow stuff, but I found it's awesome when trying to make quick corrections when traveling at speed. When you hit anything with a nice downslope, the Butcher feels like a slingshot. This is especially true coming out of corners. Just a little bit of physical exertion and the bike really takes off. I have the bike setup for a really plush feel right now and I've bottomed it out a few times, BUT, you don't even know that you've bottomed out. The rear suspension is super plush pretty much all the way through the shock stroke. And like others have pointed out- it's pretty damn stiff. I haven't felt the slightest lateral flex in the bike and I weigh around 190lb. We'll see what happens when I throw some heavier stuff at it if I can make it up to Northstar this summer. ;)
 
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