Feast your eyes on the new Santa Cruz Nickel and Butcher trail bikes.

The APP bikes get a shock rate similar to the VPP bikes, but in a more affordable, linkage-driven single pivot design. Check out the design and prototyping videos below with original prototypes dating back to 2005 and insight from the engineers during the R&D process.

Photos and Videos Courtesy of Santa Cruz Bicycles

NICKEL: $1350 with Fox Float R (complete bike pricing expected to start under $2k)
- Available June 15, 2010
- 125mm travel
- Patented APP suspension with angular contact bearings at the main pivot
- Hydroformed aluminum tubing
- Tapered head tube
- Cable routing for dropper seat posts
- 2 waterbottle mount locations

BUTCHER: $1350 with Monarch 3.3 (complete bike pricing expected to start under $2k)
- Available June 15, 2010
- 150mm travel
- Patented APP suspension with angular contact bearings at the main pivot
- Hydroformed aluminum tubing
- Tapered head tube
- ISCG05 tabs
- Cable routing for dropper seat posts
- Bottle opener on the derailleur hanger

Geometry descriptions from Santa Cruz
“Nickel – XC-ish tt and chainstay lengths, but more relaxed head angle than generally considered in xc world. 68-degree HA with 509mm axle-to-crown fork. We have no other bike that directly compares to this, so it’ll be one of those bikes that people will have to swing a leg over to understand. It’s a mighty good all-round trail bike.”

Nickel Geometry based on 509mm axle-to-crown fork
SIZE: S, M, L, XL
TOPTUBE: 21.8, 23.0, 24.0, 25.0
SEAT TUBE: 16.1, 17.0, 19.0, 20.5
HEAD TUBE Length: 3.9, 4.3, 4.7, 5.5
HEAD TUBE Angle: 68-degrees, all sizes
SEAT TUBE Angle: 72.5-degrees, all sizes
BB HEIGHT: 13.6, all sizes
WHEELBASE 42.2, 43.4, 44.4, 45.5
CHAINSTAY: 16.7, all sizes
STANDOVER: 28.1, 28.3, 29.0, 29.6

“Butcher – Heckler with a degree slacker head angle and way more awesome overall bump compliance. people r gonna dig the shit out of it.”

Butcher Geometry based on 529mm axle-to-crown fork
SIZE: S, M, L, XL
TOPTUBE: 21.5, 22.5, 23.5, 24. 5
SEAT TUBE: 16.1, 17, 19, 20.05
HEAD TUBE Length: 3.9, 4.3, 4.7, 5.5
HEAD TUBE Angle 67.5-degrees all sizes
SEAT TUBE Angle: 72-degrees, all sizes
BB HEIGHT: 13.8, all sizes
WHEELBASE: 42.5, 43.5, 44.5, 45.6
CHAINSTAY: 17.1, all sizes
STANDOVER: 28.2, 28.4, 28.9, 29.6

The Syndicate Bikes – handbuilt one-offs, using bits of both frames, but Nickel rear ends. Basically slacker head angle than Nickel (which is 68 degrees with a 509mm axle to crown fork, lower bottom bracket. It would probably be very easy to make something very similar by going with a shorter rear shock.

The Story of Santa Cruz APP, Design

The Story of Santa Cruz APP, Prototyping

125mm Nickel

150mm Butcher

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