Trek Remedy 9 RSL 2017 - Review

2015 saw the revitalisation of the Giant trail bike range in an effort to keep pace, and some would argue set the pace, of the rapidly developing bike industry. The 160mm go anywhere Giant Reign was an instant hit. Slack, low, long and sleek, this bike quickly swamped trail networks the world over as it was excellent value, available in a range of specifications and extremely capable as a race weapon or park cruiser. The revitalisation of a seemingly deceased model appeared to leave many competitors bewildered, as the masses swapped whatever their previous seasons ride had been, be it a Santa Cruz Nomad or indeed Treks previous Remedy, for the new Giant.


Such a disturbance could be considered rare in an industry where riders are heavily influenced by peers or big names, but not even the might of the Specialized marketing department could de-throne the unstoppable Reign.

But after taking what seemed to be a back seat in 2016 with their Remedy and Slash models, it's Treks turn to revitalise their All Mountain offerings for 2017.

Image: Matthew Delorme, PinkBike

In a surprise twist, Trek has taken its ultimate destroyer of trails, the Slash, and turned it into a 29er Enduro race sled. A move surely made in an effort to combat the attacks of the excellent Specialized Enduro 29. Its long, low geometry combined with 160mm of travel, and 29" wheels is sure to secure its position as one of the fastest Enduro bikes of the season.

However, for me the star of the show this year is the 2017 Trek Remedy. This is the bike I have always craved, something to fill the gap between the likes of the slightly sluggish Specialized Enduro, and the altogether too all-mountain oriented Stumpjumper FSR. The new Remedy is available in four variants, priced from $4,299 NZD for the aluminium Remedy 7, all the way to $6,999 NZD for the carbon framed Remedy 9.8.


The mid-range model is the Remedy 8, however, spend the extra $1,200 NZD and you will arrive at the model trek dubs "Race Shop Limited". This model is equipped with a full SRAM X1 11 Speed Drivetrain, Guide RS brakes, a Lyrik 160mm fork and Bontrager SE4 Team Issue tubeless tires. The RSL is a very well specced bike, as it is often rare to see a manufacturer equip a bike with a full groupset.


Riding the Trek Remedy RSL

To test the new Remedy, I spent some time at the Maraetai Trail Network in East Auckland, a fast developing new network run by the Pohutukawa Coast Bike Club. The trails offer great variety with steep, technical descents and tight native trails, and are excellent value as you can ride all season long with a season pass for $50, or spend $10 if you plan on visiting for the day. The steep gravel fire road offered an excellent introduction to the new Remedy, as with its RE-Aktiv rear shock, stiff frame and well thought out geometry, it climbed very well for a 150mm trail bike. This is likely helped by the 11 speed 10-42t range of the full SRAM X1 groupset, offering crisp shifting and more than adequate gearing range.

SRAM X1 11 Speed gearing is perfectly tailored to the new Remedy.

Upon reaching the first of the native trails however, I found it difficult to get along with the Rockshox RE-Aktiv Deluxe RT3. The rebound adjustment was fairly vague, and an autosag function such as that available on the Specialized Enduro really does make feeling comfortable on the bike a very quick process. One click too far and the shock was far too slow to respond, and one click back towards a faster rebound setting resulted in a setup which somewhat resembled a pogo stick. Personally, I would like to see some new Fox equipment on a bike at this price point. However, this was just a minor flaw in an otherwise very surprising rig, on the fast and technical trails of FourForty Mountain Bike Park I felt that the Trek was very nearly as capable as some of its bigger rivals such as the Specialized Enduro. Its stiffness leaves you feeling infinitely confident, particularly with the bags of grip available from the 2.4 Bontrager Team Issue tires and wide Bontrager Line Comp 30 wheels.

Another thing that was immediately apparent was the total rigidity of Treks' new frame design. Trek have let nothing get in the way of a totally stiff setup, and have committed every aspect of the bike to this endeavour. From the BOOST 110/148 frame and wheelset, to the Alpha Platinum Aluminium straight tube design, Trek have nailed this. The straight design of the tubing provides huge increases in strength and rigidity, but to ensure the crown of the Lyrik fork doesn't come into contact with the frame, Trek have integrated a new "Knock Block" headset stopper, which prevents the bars from rotating too far.


Initially I had fears that this design would limit the bars rotation and turn the Remedy into a cumbersome Downhill sled, with none of the advantages of such a bike. However this is not the case, the bars rotation is not limited to a point which is even noticeable on any trail I have yet to encounter. Treks' attention to detail is evident in this bike, with Control Freak cable routing keeping the routing for the excellent Bontrager Drop Line post hidden, and saving cables from shortened lives should they encounter a rock. The Mino Link adaptive geometry is equally innovative, with an easily interchangeable setting from 'Slack to Steep' as such. I didn't notice much of a difference between the two settings, however that could be due to the 19.5" frame feeling slightly too small for my 6'2 self.


Final Verdict

Trek have done an excellent job of revitalising their All-Mountain offerings for 2017 to keep pace with the constant innovation of the bike industry, their new offerings are far more in-tune with those of their competitors, and already on New Zealand trail networks, the Remedy is becoming a more and more common sight. The RSL Model is the pick of the bunch for me, doing away with several downfalls of the Remedy 8 model including the KS Lev dropper post and SRAM GX drivetrain, and boosting the forks travel to 160mm with the more powerful Lyrik. However, I would really like to have seen a more capable rear shock than that which is equipped on the RSL, as for me it was the biggest downfall of an otherwise very impressive offering. The spec is perfect for a bike of this category, with X1 11 Speed complete groupset and powerful Guide RS braking. Finally, one of the most important criteria for myself when buying a bike is how good it looks, and I think the sheer "Team" appeal of this new Race Shop Limited model has completely won me over. What about you?

Sam Martin