Trek remedy vs trek slash

PB Forum :: Freeride & Slopestyle
Trek remedy vs trek slash
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flag alexbikes97
Posted: Jul 23, 2012 at 4:18 Quote
Looking at both of these bikes and wondering how they both climb and decend, and everything in between. I ride "all mountain", quite a bit of uphill, but i am more interested in the downhill.
Thanks
flag c25porter
Posted: Jul 23, 2012 at 11:06 Quote
The Remedy is a great bike for the cross Country rider that never races, also know as a Trail rider. The Remedy fits pretty spot on compared to other similar bikes. The Slash is meant to cover the gap between the Remedy and the Session, although falls a little shorter of the Session than the Scratch did. The Slash is still a bit short in the top tube and feels more compact than the Remedy. The Slash Climbs well but the Remedy beats it hands down going up.

I would feel comfortable with nice clean jump lines in the 10-12 foot range and maybe 4ft drops.
With the slash I would still feel comfortable up to 20 ft jumps and 6-8ft drops and more chunder on the trail

Neither bike is touted as a free ride bike, but there are those out there that press it into that service, especially in the North West (Canada included)
flag alexbikes97
Posted: Jul 23, 2012 at 14:02 Quote
thanks for the info mate.
what would u choose if it were you as your only bike.( all mountain)
flag gravelmans
Posted: Jul 26, 2012 at 7:58 Quote
I too would like to know this. Perhaps someone who has ridden all 3 bikes could give us their take.
flag alexshirley
Posted: Jul 26, 2012 at 23:05 Quote
I haven't ridden the slash but I own a remedy and it's a great do it all bike I ride xc on it as well as freeride and downhill. It handles every drop or jump I've done on it just fine.
flag unclesomebody
O+
Posted: Jul 27, 2012 at 2:47 Quote
c25porter wrote:
The Remedy is a great bike for the cross Country rider that never races, also know as a Trail rider. The Remedy fits pretty spot on compared to other similar bikes. The Slash is meant to cover the gap between the Remedy and the Session, although falls a little shorter of the Session than the Scratch did. The Slash is still a bit short in the top tube and feels more compact than the Remedy. The Slash Climbs well but the Remedy beats it hands down going up.

I would feel comfortable with nice clean jump lines in the 10-12 foot range and maybe 4ft drops.
With the slash I would still feel comfortable up to 20 ft jumps and 6-8ft drops and more chunder on the trail

Neither bike is touted as a free ride bike, but there are those out there that press it into that service, especially in the North West (Canada included)

My Remedy would disagree with you in many many ways. It handles 20+ ft jumps with ease along with 15+ ft drops. Honestly, it's a ridiculously capable bike. Mine is slightly different from stock and probably more akin to a slash/scratch but I just wanted to highlight how it can be made to be a very very capable. This bike made a lot of Sessions look very stupid when I was in the alps last week. Here's a pic of the current setup. Happy to answer any more specific questions...

Unsecure image, only https images allowed: http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e129/unclesomebody/RemedyCurrent.jpg
flag c25porter
Posted: Jul 30, 2012 at 9:41 Quote
Yes I have seen the Remedy used for free riding, and the guy ripped on it, clearing 30 foot jumps and 12 foot drops, it was his third Remedy frame in a year, it really isn't made for it. After two years of mild free riding I did end up with a cracked seat stay on my '08 Remedy. Also the Remedy is more of a trail bike because of its geometry, from the head angle to the longer top tube. If you look at the bike above, it is heavier then the slash and still not as good in the air (for most riders) and cost a fair amount in upgrades.

Here are my thoughts between the four Trek choices:
Remedy- Great all around bike that will do anything from a Cat 2 XC race to light free riding (6ft drops and 15 foot jumps) If you don't get in the air much this is the bike for you, unless what you ride is rocky, this is the least supple of the four.
Scratch Air- More burly than the Remedy, not fast enough for XC use but a great trail bike that pedals pretty well and is good for a little more aggressive free riding with both its geometry and frame strength. This is a good bike for someone that likes to go big, but has to pedal up, or likes to pedal up for that matter.
Scratch Coil-This is a different bike than the Air, it is far more burly and supple, but at the price of weight (this bike is the most free ride capable of the four, if you go big and don't pedal up much, this is the bike for you.
Slash- Trek realized that the Scratch Air was over built and there wasn't a big enough market for the coil version. So the Slash was born, think of it as an improved Scratch Air. The DRCV air shock makes it much more supple and capable. So unless you plan to race XC or go really big, the Slash is a great "I only have one bike", bike. Jumps really well and is pretty supple, corners great etc. A jack of all trades a master of none (except maybe Enduros or Super D's) In my opinion the best option of the four, get this if you don't go huge and money is not an object.

I have ridden all four of these bikes on the same trails. I rode the Remedy the most and loved it when I had it, but my riding has changed to more free ride and less XC. My current bike is a Specialized Enduro Expert Evo. I like it better than the Slash. A rear coil is where it is at, although if a Vivid Air, CCDB Air, or Vector HLR Air fit, I would have one of those, but the RC2 serves me well.
flag gravelmans
Posted: Jul 30, 2012 at 16:58 Quote
Thanks man, that was very refreshing.
It will be interesting to hear if others agree with you or not.

So tell me more about the Scratch Coil? does it pedal at all well?

Nice.
flag c25porter
Posted: Jul 30, 2012 at 17:22 Quote
Everyone is going to have a different opinion, if you get the scratch 9, then you can slow down the rebound and compression enough that it pedals decent, the Session 9.9 probably pedals just as well. The Scratch will get you up the hill, but if you are in any way trying to keep up with someone else, you are at a disadvantage. Also be aware the Scratch and Slash both have short top tubes. Medium fits me pretty well in the Remedy and just about all other All Mountain bikes, but I prefer a large for both the Scratch and the Slash. Some people like it short, and maybe some day I will too, but for now I like it proportional for the trail riding that I do.

I have been mountain biking on XT level bikes since 2000, but got big back into it in 2008. In the end my opinion is just that, but I am an engineer and a bike geek, so I really look at all the details. I will never be sponsored but I rarely hold up a group if you get what I am saying. If you can demo or try any of these bikes do it. I rode my Enduro for about an hour before I agreed to buy it used from the guy (I gave him my keys while I went for a ride, I ended up buying it, so all were happy.

A good bike is way too expensive to just buy without knowing what you are getting into, hope my opinions help.
flag nidgeslash9
Posted: Jul 30, 2012 at 17:34 Quote
I just spent the weekend riding with a big group of friends. We did about 55 km of XC with lots of climbing and lots of wet loose sand. However much i love my slash there was a number of times i wished i was on my old Hifi-pro. Maybe it was the 2.5 tyres that i just put on. Despite running out of energy on the long climbs any time gravity was on my side the bike just wanted to fly.
flag c25porter
Posted: Jul 30, 2012 at 17:40 Quote
There are a lot of 5.5"-6" bikes out there that flat out fly compared to the 6.5"-7" bikes and many that blur the lines. There is a reason that there is a Remedy and a Slash. If the Slash pedaled as well as the Remedy, no one would buy the Remedy, and if the Remedy did as well going downhill as the Slash, no one would buy the Slash. They are built for two different although similar riding styles, you can do it all on both but the remedy favors the trail rider that does equal climbing and descending but favors descending, and the Slash (or Scratch) is for those that ride to descend and climb if they have to, to get to a decent.

Other bikes to consider that are not Trek, I am sure there are more, but I have ridden the following and would be happy to own any of them:
Spec. Enduro Evo
Intense Uzzi
Santa Cruz Nomad
Ibis Mojo HD
Giant Reign X
Trek Slash
All of these bikes fit me and my choice of trail more than 90% of the time.
flag Pabail
Posted: Jul 30, 2012 at 17:55 Quote
the scratch as it climbs very well for that kind of bike and isnt heavy. the remedy is a great bike but after a year with the remedy you'll probably want a scratch, i would.
flag gravelmans
Posted: Jul 30, 2012 at 23:11 Quote
The scratch coil, was that a USA model
Only? I haven't really heard of it, - is that it's proper name? Love to know if they were available in Australia?
Silly question, I assume coil refers to being coil sprung in the rear.
A mate reckons a couple guys are using remedys at crankworks, can anyone confirm or deny this?
I think he is dreaming.
flag unclesomebody
O+
Posted: Jul 31, 2012 at 3:43 Quote
c25porter wrote:
Yes I have seen the Remedy used for free riding, and the guy ripped on it, clearing 30 foot jumps and 12 foot drops, it was his third Remedy frame in a year, it really isn't made for it. After two years of mild free riding I did end up with a cracked seat stay on my '08 Remedy. Also the Remedy is more of a trail bike because of its geometry, from the head angle to the longer top tube. If you look at the bike above, it is heavier then the slash and still not as good in the air (for most riders) and cost a fair amount in upgrades.

Here are my thoughts between the four Trek choices:
Remedy- Great all around bike that will do anything from a Cat 2 XC race to light free riding (6ft drops and 15 foot jumps) If you don't get in the air much this is the bike for you, unless what you ride is rocky, this is the least supple of the four.
Scratch Air- More burly than the Remedy, not fast enough for XC use but a great trail bike that pedals pretty well and is good for a little more aggressive free riding with both its geometry and frame strength. This is a good bike for someone that likes to go big, but has to pedal up, or likes to pedal up for that matter.
Scratch Coil-This is a different bike than the Air, it is far more burly and supple, but at the price of weight (this bike is the most free ride capable of the four, if you go big and don't pedal up much, this is the bike for you.
Slash- Trek realized that the Scratch Air was over built and there wasn't a big enough market for the coil version. So the Slash was born, think of it as an improved Scratch Air. The DRCV air shock makes it much more supple and capable. So unless you plan to race XC or go really big, the Slash is a great "I only have one bike", bike. Jumps really well and is pretty supple, corners great etc. A jack of all trades a master of none (except maybe Enduros or Super D's) In my opinion the best option of the four, get this if you don't go huge and money is not an object.

I have ridden all four of these bikes on the same trails. I rode the Remedy the most and loved it when I had it, but my riding has changed to more free ride and less XC. My current bike is a Specialized Enduro Expert Evo. I like it better than the Slash. A rear coil is where it is at, although if a Vivid Air, CCDB Air, or Vector HLR Air fit, I would have one of those, but the RC2 serves me well.

Very good points all well made. I'm not sure if the geometry is all that different once a longer travel fork is put on a Remedy, especially the head angle. The top tube may be different but a longer top tube on the remedy allows you to have a shorter stem (along with the benefits). I bought my bike second hand and the forks and rear shock were almost cost neutral upgrades (ie. I sold what was on there for the same as the new items - total spend was under £50). For that money I have a remarkably able bike. Is it as good as a slash/scratch? I couldn't honestly say because I haven't ridden them. I would guess that your analysis above is correct, a scratch coil would be more fun if you didn't do any pedalling up but I don't live in the alps Frown .

There is nothing stopping a buyer getting the Slash and putting on a coil shock. Maybe that is the perfect choice in all this?

I did read that the Trek Scratch Coil and Air are based on exactly the same frame so the only difference is finishing kit... I should get my bike weighed and see what it comes out to for comparison purposes.

At the end of the day you are right though, it all depends on your predominant style of riding. What I like to do isn't what I have access to in the UK so I had to make a compromise as I could only afford one bike. Perhaps if a cheap frame comes along I'll swap over to a Slash and put a CCDB on it. Do you have any info on frame only weights for the various models above? That would be interesting.
flag c25porter
Posted: Jul 31, 2012 at 7:05 Quote
So here is the deal, the Scratch 7 and 9 are coil versions and the scratch 6 and 8 are air. Coil means coil front and back, Air means air front and back and while they are based off the exact same frame they ride very differently. Most of what I have said is based off of buying the right bike without having to do a ton of modifications.

To answer another question, yes the Remedy was used at Crankworx, it was modified for jumping (4" travel)
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/brandon-semenuk-jbl-2009.html


Lastly as far as putting whatever rear shock on the back of Slash, do your home work, unless you are a machinist there is only one shock that will work back there. Both Trek and Specialized are bad about doing this, they are either custom lengths (Specialized) or custom mounting points (DRCV Trek)

Ok so the real lastly, most of think of head tube angle when we think of geometry, because it is the one number we can easily relate to and compare, but all the other numbers mater too. When you put a longer fork on a Remedy, you change more than head tube angle, you also slacken the seat tube angle and raise the bottom bracket. A slack seat tube puts the seat too far back when climbing and a higher bottom bracket makes it harder to turn and less stable.

In the end, don't modify a bike by changing the geometry, get the right bike for the job the first time (its cheaper that way anyway), unless you really think you are a better engineer than the guys and gals that designed the bike in the first place. They have alot more experience and tools at their hands, and these days most of them probably ride better than you.
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