FEELING

There’s no doubt that it is the overall feeling of this bike that sets it apart. On paper the 350mm bottom bracket would seem a touch high but the way the bike operates in its travel range and the way in which it supports the rider almost negates this. The weight placement front and rear (we fitted a 35mm stem) is perfect. With 1200/445mm wheelbase/chainstay combination the 1183/455mm Specialized Stumpy Evo 29 is the closest to this bike, but with slightly less travel, although less weight too. The Remedy is a more rugged offering, but it’s very different in feeling, some will prefer the brisker Stumpy, others the burly Trek.

Coming with a full Shimano XT drivetrain is nothing to turn your nose up at, it is tough kit for starters, yet I can’t help think how the compact and quieter 1×11 would change this bike. I almost prefer the engagement of SRAM and strength of Shimano. In the brake department it’s Shimano all the way at the moment and XT has the better brake. Finishing parts are mostly the excellent Bontrager (Trek’s own brand) and we’ve been running the XR Muds, but there’s a bigger story to that elsewhere in the mag. RockShox Reverb Stealth does it magic.

Whilst it would be interesting to build the Remedy with carbon wheels and 1×11 you are still getting a lot of bike here. So much bike that it’s one that you feel that you can keep lit into tough terrain due in part to the attacking angles. You have to remind yourself that the Remedy is still only 140mm travel, Tracy Moseley might have got away with it, but she’s pretty light and incredibly smooth.

VERDICT

Overall you’re getting a bike that is capable of a huge amount of riding. I have to draw comparisons to the Stumpjumper Evo 29 simply because they are so close. In the Specialized you have a bike that works the limit of hard trail riding with its slight chassis, but the Remedy (in its comfort zone in the trail department) tends to want to dabble in stuff a taste harder. It’s ‘more bike’ in other words. But then it’s more weight too, which needs bearing in mind. Trek need to take a leaf out of Scott’s book when it comes to cable tidiness but overall they have dealt a lesson of how to squeeze every bit out of 140mm travel. It’s an excellent bike and has put down firm foundations as a candidate for trail bike of the year.

Price £3700

www.trekbikes.com