08 Specialized Enduro SL Expert vs 08 Trek Remedy 8

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
08 Specialized Enduro SL Expert vs 08 Trek Remedy 8
Author Message
flag AMBikerJJ8
Posted: Feb 18, 2009 at 8:00 Quote
I guess I'm just a busy guy!
flag SIDESHOWBOB
Posted: Feb 19, 2009 at 11:32 Quote
I ride a remedy 7 09 and its great but today i had to take it in to the shop because the crowns on the lyricks were creaking like mad, not bad for a HAND FULL of rides only had it two months and ride it some weekends.
Had the same problem with my totems but i ride the trek within the ALL MOUNTAIN TAG TREK GIVE IT.
So what is it with rock shox shame they let the bike down.
flag canadiandegelder
Posted: Feb 19, 2009 at 20:49 Quote
I've been following this thread for a while and I thought I'd give my 2 cents worth. Call me bias because I own an Enduro (Comp w/ Juicy 7's, so which is about the only diff. between Comp/Expert... kk, ultimate vs. 7's, + X0 vs. X9, no biggie), but I'll try to be as objective as I can.

I did many months of research before I put my hard-earned money into a bike, and am not in any way regretting the decision. I found an Enduro SL Comp for a great price, and have already given it the solid beating. I've raced into a flight of stairs many times (so that I don't have to push it up), had lots of fun on a 4-5 ft. ledge to flat drop (concrete; so a very highly inflated shock), countless numbers of stairs, lots of trail riding, and some dirt jumping. Albeit I've not actually ridden it on a true mountain yet - the snow doesn't melt on the North Shore for several months to come - I am very impressed. After about two months of vigorous, nearly daily riding, I've come to learn the strengths and weaknesses of the bike;

- The fork is very smooth, with no 'breaking the seal' feeling. It feels very expensive, and will take anything on the trail. At first, I thought the travel adjust was an absolute gimmick, although I now realize the bonus. The geometry adjustment is fairly minimal, but what it does is cuts out two inches of very plush travel, making for 4" of firmer, XC travel.

- The shock is like any other air shock. It's nothing special, and it does exactly what it's supposed to. The blue firmness dial is particularly useful and effective.

- The frame is super light and rock solid, not to mention stunningly beautiful (although, of course, this had no affect on my purchase). Fully loaded, w/ pedals, mine is 30 pounds on the dot, in a size Large; pretty impressive.

- The shifting is superb. Rediculous as this may sound, but I would choose the X9 rear derailleur over the X0. The performance in shifting at this level is very minimal, and the main thing which makes my decision is the carbon fiber outer cage. To me, that's a bad idea. I've seen my friend bend a derailleur while riding on Fromme, and shops have designated tools for this alone. The thing with carbon fiber is that it doesn't bend - it snaps. You can bend an aluminum derailluer and fix it, not so with carbon fiber. The shifter pods feel great.

- The rims, tires, spokes, axles etc. are all very nice. The rims are super light, the tires are just fine (in time I'll probs put some Nevegals on), and the thru-axle on the front is mighty stiff.

However:

- The only thing I can find wrong with the bike is a few very minor design flaws. The cable routing for the disk brakes and shifters is between the crowns of the fork. They then rest on the triple-crown clamps, and create some major cable rub. I fixed this with some clear hockey sock tape (how fitting, I'm canadian)

- The brake (front) seems to lose pressure occasionally, but I'm sure that's just due to some air.

- Finally, there is a very minor design flaw which rarely happens (still worth mentioning = objectivity). Once in a while, the cable, when shifting from 2nd ring to granny gear, will ride up and pinch itself between the second gear and the chainstay. Also, if the chain comes off, like with many other bikes, it gets wedged solidly between the granny ring and the seat tube.

Overall, I'm 100% pleased with the bike and would recommend it to anyone into ALL mountain riding. I'm not trying to be a salesman, and I'm not trying to put down the Remedy, I'm just offering my opinion.

If it's of any interest to others, I test rode many bikes, including the: Giant Reign X0, Trek Remedy 8, Enduro Expert, Scott Ransom 40, and a RM Slayer SXC 50, which are all very similar.

I narrowed it down between the Remedy and the Enduro as the final two, and in the end the deciding factor to me was spec value. The only thing I genuinly disliked about the Remedy was the weak spec for high price. An RP2 and a U-Turn (?) on a $2700 bike? Weak.

That's just my lengthy 2 cents . Salute
flag AMBikerJJ8
Posted: Feb 19, 2009 at 21:00 Quote
^^^^Good info. I pretty much found the same pros when I test rode the Enduro SL (have yet to find the cons; will pick up my new baby in 'couver this spring).
flag fortbill
O+
Posted: Feb 20, 2009 at 10:06 Quote
canadiandegelder wrote:
I've been following this thread for a while and I thought I'd give my 2 cents worth. Call me bias because I own an Enduro (Comp w/ Juicy 7's, so which is about the only diff. between Comp/Expert... kk, ultimate vs. 7's, + X0 vs. X9, no biggie), but I'll try to be as objective as I can.

I did many months of research before I put my hard-earned money into a bike, and am not in any way regretting the decision. I found an Enduro SL Comp for a great price, and have already given it the solid beating. I've raced into a flight of stairs many times (so that I don't have to push it up), had lots of fun on a 4-5 ft. ledge to flat drop (concrete; so a very highly inflated shock), countless numbers of stairs, lots of trail riding, and some dirt jumping. Albeit I've not actually ridden it on a true mountain yet - the snow doesn't melt on the North Shore for several months to come - I am very impressed. After about two months of vigorous, nearly daily riding, I've come to learn the strengths and weaknesses of the bike;

- The fork is very smooth, with no 'breaking the seal' feeling. It feels very expensive, and will take anything on the trail. At first, I thought the travel adjust was an absolute gimmick, although I now realize the bonus. The geometry adjustment is fairly minimal, but what it does is cuts out two inches of very plush travel, making for 4" of firmer, XC travel.

- The shock is like any other air shock. It's nothing special, and it does exactly what it's supposed to. The blue firmness dial is particularly useful and effective.

- The frame is super light and rock solid, not to mention stunningly beautiful (although, of course, this had no affect on my purchase). Fully loaded, w/ pedals, mine is 30 pounds on the dot, in a size Large; pretty impressive.

- The shifting is superb. Rediculous as this may sound, but I would choose the X9 rear derailleur over the X0. The performance in shifting at this level is very minimal, and the main thing which makes my decision is the carbon fiber outer cage. To me, that's a bad idea. I've seen my friend bend a derailleur while riding on Fromme, and shops have designated tools for this alone. The thing with carbon fiber is that it doesn't bend - it snaps. You can bend an aluminum derailluer and fix it, not so with carbon fiber. The shifter pods feel great.

- The rims, tires, spokes, axles etc. are all very nice. The rims are super light, the tires are just fine (in time I'll probs put some Nevegals on), and the thru-axle on the front is mighty stiff.

However:

- The only thing I can find wrong with the bike is a few very minor design flaws. The cable routing for the disk brakes and shifters is between the crowns of the fork. They then rest on the triple-crown clamps, and create some major cable rub. I fixed this with some clear hockey sock tape (how fitting, I'm canadian)

- The brake (front) seems to lose pressure occasionally, but I'm sure that's just due to some air.

- Finally, there is a very minor design flaw which rarely happens (still worth mentioning = objectivity). Once in a while, the cable, when shifting from 2nd ring to granny gear, will ride up and pinch itself between the second gear and the chainstay. Also, if the chain comes off, like with many other bikes, it gets wedged solidly between the granny ring and the seat tube.

Overall, I'm 100% pleased with the bike and would recommend it to anyone into ALL mountain riding. I'm not trying to be a salesman, and I'm not trying to put down the Remedy, I'm just offering my opinion.

If it's of any interest to others, I test rode many bikes, including the: Giant Reign X0, Trek Remedy 8, Enduro Expert, Scott Ransom 40, and a RM Slayer SXC 50, which are all very similar.

I narrowed it down between the Remedy and the Enduro as the final two, and in the end the deciding factor to me was spec value. The only thing I genuinly disliked about the Remedy was the weak spec for high price. An RP2 and a U-Turn (?) on a $2700 bike? Weak.

That's just my lengthy 2 cents . Salute

The Remedy 8 which your comparing does not have a U-turn Fork it has the lyrik 2-step fork, which is immense. Also it has an "all mountain tuned Oversized RP23" not a RP2. The remedy 8 does not have a weak spec. 28mm wide Rythem Wheelset to allow the use of downhill tyres. It also has the brilliant shimano XT brakes, cranks, front and rear mechs and shifters. The remedy is also lighter and has a better suspension platform which is plusher, more reponsive and is more active under braking.

My opinion: The remedy 8 is the best all mountain bike out there
flag canadiandegelder
Posted: Feb 20, 2009 at 23:20 Quote
fortbill wrote:

The Remedy 8 which your comparing does not have a U-turn Fork it has the lyrik 2-step fork, which is immense. Also it has an "all mountain tuned Oversized RP23" not a RP2. The remedy 8 does not have a weak spec. 28mm wide Rythem Wheelset to allow the use of downhill tyres. It also has the brilliant shimano XT brakes, cranks, front and rear mechs and shifters. The remedy is also lighter and has a better suspension platform which is plusher, more reponsive and is more active under braking.

My opinion: The remedy 8 is the best all mountain bike out there

Okay, I generally have a very long fuse, but you just burned through all of it. Firstly, is the aspect of common sense. An Enduro Comp is NOT on the same price level as the Remedy 8, therefore my comparison was reasonable by comparing a Comp to a Remedy 7.

#2 - With this in mind, the Remedy 7 actually does have an RP2 (thank you very much), although I will give you that "All mountain Tuned, oversize air can a.k.a. XV" pile of marketing hype/bull

#3 - The whole deal about the Bontrager Rythem Wheelset I'm calling BS on. My friend has an EX8 (Bontrager Rims + Kenda tires) and they are notorious for pinch flats. I don't know what it is with bontrager rims on the Trek spec, but it's bizarre. Also, my brother owns a Kona Stab, and I've tried the 2.5" Maxxis minions on the Enduro's rims. They work alright.

#4 - O.K., Number four. Ladies and gentelemen, I present to you... bullshit! "The Remedy is also lighter and has a better suspension platform which is plusher, more responsive, and more active under braking" - Where shall I begin? How about the weight. I OWN a LARGE specialized Enduro comp, and it weighs 30 lb. on the nose. On the same scale, the Remedy 8 (better, lighter model, as I couldn't find a 7), in a MEDIUM, and weighed slightly over 31 lb. I don't want to get into the suspension platfor again, because it becomes a game of who said what, with no factual evidence. More responsive? More active under braking? C'mon man, don't take everything you see right from the catalog, you're a huge sucker for marketing.

#5 - The whole 'XT' thing is just names. That's another preference, and the two are both great systems.

#6 - I am unbelievably tight-fisted with my money, and did month's of research to dig out the right bike for myself. Being as thorough (lol, one guy once called me anal retentive in a reply, and it's so true) as I am, I am positive that unless you are a senior at Trek, I know more about the Remedy than you, and most others (even many store managers, but that's another matter). I'm not trying to slam you, but in terms of knowledge, I'm about as book smart about the Remedy/Enduro as one can get (and those are about the only two bikes to which this applies). To finish this off, if you actually did some research, and added up the MSRP of all the individual parts, then divided it by the MSRP of the entire bike, you'd be shocked.

Sorry for the anger rant, but once I get going, I'm like a fat american rolling falling from the sky.
flag canadiandegelder
Posted: Feb 20, 2009 at 23:20 Quote
Also, don't quote my rants. It makes the thread freakin' huge.
flag flikende
Posted: Feb 20, 2009 at 23:40 Quote
one of the more minor things on the trek is the e2 headtube. if something happens to your fork, they dont sell aftermarket tapered tube forks, and you cant run anything with a 1.5 steerer. yes, they make 1.5 inch to 1/8 converters, but unless it was only the bottom, that would be a waste of money to only use half the headset.
flag ItsMaddie
Posted: Feb 20, 2009 at 23:49 Quote
flikende wrote:
one of the more minor things on the trek is the e2 headtube. if something happens to your fork, they dont sell aftermarket tapered tube forks, and you cant run anything with a 1.5 steerer. yes, they make 1.5 inch to 1/8 converters, but unless it was only the bottom, that would be a waste of money to only use half the headset.
Well, considering that both Trek, and Specialized are adopting the standard, it is only a matter of time before compatible products begin to flood the marketplace. I'm sure there's also some way to get one already (you probably just have to ask the right people). 2 cents
flag fortbill
O+
Posted: Feb 21, 2009 at 3:47 Quote
canadiandegelder, i very much doubt you know more about the remedy than me. Yes you probably know more about the enduro than me. I work in a trek dealership and build and sell trek bikes everyday, we have the whole remedy range in stock. i have not riden an enduro, but i have riden the specialized pitch pro which is very simiallar to the enduro. i can say from riding the two bikes, the remedy felt better on the climbs, was unbelivably good on the descents. It definetly felt more responisive under braking and accerated faster. If it was me buying a bike, it would be the remedy everytime
flag AMBikerJJ8
Posted: Feb 21, 2009 at 8:26 Quote
I think the problem with threads like these is that everyone has their own "brand" of bikes that they like, and they are generally biased (at least a little) towards those brands. My personal bias is toward Specialized (My mom got a bike from them, and then since it seemed like a good bike, my dad, brother, and I got ones for ourselves), and I justify it by saying that they make really high-end stuff with no regard for price (hence the "S-Works" division I'd imagine), but that's just a bunch of BS. I just like them because I'm familiar with them. My friend who rides a Giant now wants to get another Giant, my friend with a Trek wants to get another Trek, etc. To anyone choosing between these two bikes, just go and test out both of them, preferably side-to-side, and see which one you like better, and then go for it. Unless there is a huge price/componentry level difference between them, just get what you like, because you'll inevitably like it. Wink
flag flikende
Posted: Feb 21, 2009 at 9:35 Quote
with the remedy 9, its 5500 that comes with xo rear derailleur, xtr cranks, elixir brakes and the tapered fox 36 rc2, all on an aluminum chassis

with the enduro sl pro carbon, its 5500 that comes with an xo rear derailleur, xt cranks, elixir cranks, 32 talas r all on a carbon frame.

once you get up into the carbon level (which is the same price as the top remedy) the specialized is easily more bang for the buck. below that with the aluminum, they are both pretty much the same
flag canadiandegelder
Posted: Feb 21, 2009 at 13:22 Quote
fortbill wrote:
canadiandegelder, i very much doubt you know more about the remedy than me. Yes you probably know more about the enduro than me. I work in a trek dealership and build and sell trek bikes everyday, we have the whole remedy range in stock. i have not riden an enduro, but i have riden the specialized pitch pro which is very simiallar to the enduro. i can say from riding the two bikes, the remedy felt better on the climbs, was unbelivably good on the descents. It definetly felt more responisive under braking and accerated faster. If it was me buying a bike, it would be the remedy everytime

That's the problem with some of these threads - bias. Of course, if you work at a Trek dealership, it becomes a brand name thing, and you're obviously not going to spread a bad work about Trek, since your livelihood depends on it. I'm not going to lie, I own an Enduro, but I've only ever owned a Kona before, and had no pre-decided prejudice, so up until I bought it, I had zero bias. As a regular consumer, I tested many bikes, including the Remedy 8 and the Enduro Comp. Because I believe that this thread is a valuable resource, I'm not going to voice my opinion (as opposed to you: "The remedy felt better on the climbs, and was unbelievably good on the descents. It definitely felt more responsive under braking and [accelerated] faster"). They're both great bikes, it's just that in my opinion, there were a few aspects which gave the Enduro the edge. Also, the Pitch Pro is actually quite different than the Enduro, which means it's not really a fair comparison. In fact, the Pitch is often titled as the "poor man's enduro".

Either way, I don't want to start an argument like a couple of pages back, but I comletely support this thread, and think that comments on it should be as objective and factual as possible.
flag canadiandegelder
Posted: Feb 21, 2009 at 13:31 Quote
Just so you know:

MSRP:

Remedy 8:$4,399
Remedy 7:$3,299

Enduro Comp:$3,050
Enduro Expert:$4,200
flag robschultz2
Posted: Feb 21, 2009 at 21:10 Quote
I was on the fence forever between the enduro and remedy, I finally bought a remedy just based on a good price (bike shop demo), I havent logged nearly enough ride time on the remedy, but it feels very well balanced front to back. The additional frame size (18.5") is a nice addition.
Canadiandegelder, its nice to see you take pasion with your enduro, as you say, their both great bikes, one cant go too wrong with either..

 


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