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Trail and Enduro Bikes

Trek Remedy 2017 9.9 Race Shop Limited

Remedy searches for bite without the bounce - a classy performer

For 2017 Trek’s solution for the wheel size and travel brain twister has been to up the Remedy to 150mm and drop the wheel size down to only 27.5”.

Words: S.Jones. Photos: Sterling Lorence/S.Jones

Trek Remedy 2017 – the review

This is where the Remedy was at seven or eight years ago in terms of travel but irrespective of how many steps forward or back this move is, Trek have clearly identified the comfort zone need of buyers for a 150/27.5 trail/enduro bike. Today we’re excited to review the Trek Remedy 2017 edition.

Five sizes, 27.5 wheels the new 2017 Remedy dishes out some fully up to date geometry numbers. The 21.5 size that we rode out in Squamish features a 477mm reach, 1231mm wheelbase and 65.5 head angle with 339mm bottom bracket. These are very good statistics for a 150/160mm bike and a six foot rider but we believe there’s still room for one more size the range. This top end 9 series is slightly higher than the other lesser priced bikes with longer Lyrik 160mm fork which in effect makes it slacker but a shade higher.

The Trek Remedy has been our trail bike of the year in the past for its great suspension and geometry but for 2017 Trek say they are trying to simplify their range in order to try and make it more understandable for buyers. Why they’ve changed the Remedy from 29” and 27.5” wheels to purely 27.5” we can only imagine will be clearer in the coming weeks when it’s rumoured Trek will launch an updated Slash. Let’s say at the time we really missed a long travel 29” bike in the range but had our fingers crossed there was more to come.

 

Steve Jones at Trek Launch in Squamish, BC, Canada, June 2016

Suspension/Chassis

It’s another flawless build from Trek with many impressive features. Radiant with its stunning finish and supremely engineered chassis the bike is damped with a Rockshox Deluxe RT3, RE:aktiv 3 position unit compared to the Fox parts fitted to the Fuel’s. Up front the slightly longer travel Lyrik is fitted to this top Trek Remedy.

More than anything with the Trek Remedy 2017, we were keen to see how it performed against the previous 29” version which had one of the best suspension packages on any trail bike we have ever ridden. The RE:aktiv Fox damper contrary to how we’d been told it would work was a bike that operated at its most efficient in wet conditions, a damper that searched out grip and was not one that revelled in pumping terrain to get momentum. With no discernible platform it was a sensitive damper which could hunt down even the vaguest offering of grip which required a slightly opposing style to manage the front and rear effectively but a system that we had come to admire nonetheless.

Componentry

Already boosted with a 148mm rear hub and 110mm front the Remedy is shod with Bontrager’s excellent Elite wheelset and SE4 tyres but everyone’s eyes will be on the Sram Eagle groupset that drives this bike, the Sram Guide Ultimate brakes and the impressive new Dropline seatpost with such an easy action lever.

Feeling

Grip, that’s the vibe the Remedy gives out, on the rear it’s a real searcher for bite without the bounce. We actually found the damper on the Remedy pretty close to the old Fox unit on the early bikes. This is a good thing. A very good thing. Still, you can load the rear when needed, it just needs a slightly more delicate touch than some of the more muscle bound dampers on some enduro bikes. It strikes an excellent balance in this respect.

 

DIRT MOUNTAIN BIKE | BIKE REVIEWS

 

The rear can offers good resistance in the hard setting to aid climbing and the Eagle enabled easy leg spinning on the climbs. The bike silently glided, cornered and dropped into steep terrain with perfect poise. It’s a beautifully figured out bike happy in its sinewy but well balanced build.

Trek Launch in Squamish, BC, Canada, June 2016

Limitations. Not much. Ugly bar?

Steve Jones at Trek Launch in Squamish, BC, Canada, June 2016

Verdict

The Remedy offers a performance advantage that people will be considering especially now that they might well be lining this bike up against direct sales bikes. For £5600 this has never been more important. And its in the chassis integrity and the damper that the Remedy has pre-eminence. The bike has classy damping and the chassis intensity is excellent.

But there’s more to Trek bikes. And this is also where the brand scores over basic bikes, is the detail, the bits that cost a touch more to produce yet that give a performance advantage – ABP, Knock Block steerer, great chain/frame protection, E2 steerer, Mino Link and a fully loaded build – it’s a lot of money but a lot of bike also.

Yes the carbon on this bike is a masterclass but for a few thousand less the £2800 Remedy 9 Race Shop Limited will be a more realistic offering. This is because I’m happy to walk rather than ride at the gearing range Eagle offers, and as great as Trek carbon is the geometry on the aluminium bike is the same, and if you’re about to drop six to seven grand on a carbon enduro bike then I’d hold your horses a week or two anyway.

But as a high performance 27.5 wheel 150mm travel bike this bike is pretty much hard to fault. Bottom line, an easy to ride, upbeat and very capable bike.

Trek Remedy 2017 9.9 Race Shop Limited: £5600

trekbikes.com

New to enduro bikes? Check out our buyer’s guide HERE

 

see also

MARIN HAWK HILL 2017

NORCO OPTIC

TRANSITION PATROL

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SLAYER 2017

SPECIALIZED S-WORKS ENDURO 29

 

Trek Launch in Squamish, BC, Canada, June 2016
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