A SUMMER WITH THE TREK REMEDY

In the hype surrounding the launch of the Trek Session 88 at the beginning of the year you could almost be forgiven for forgetting that there were other bikes in the Trek range for the year. The 150mm travel Remedy sits between the Session and the Fuel EX Trail bike series, it is available in 3 flavours; the top of the range 9, midrange 8, which we have been testing here, and the entry level 7.

Decked in Shimano XT to toe, and sporting a Rockshox Lyrik 2 step up front and a custom tuned Fox RP23 out back, the Remedy 8 is well specced for the price. With a swap of the Bontrager Rhythm Comp wheels for their lighter Rhythm Pro cousins, and a faster rolling tread than the stock Kenda Nevegals, the Remedy was good to go. We won’t dwell much on the frame technology on the Remedy range, the E2 steerer, Active Braking Pivot and Full Floater suspension system are all the same as we explored more in depth in our Session 88 review earlier in the year.

Sizewise I was in something of a quandary over the 19.5” or 17.5” eventually opting for the 19.5” which turned out to be perfect, with a low top tube providing acres of standover for my short legs and a lengthy enough top tube to stretch out my long back.

I have been lucky enough to be in possession of a Remedy for all of the Summer, it has done plenty of after work bashes, it has hit up all the favourite Tweed valley riding spots, it has done a couple of Avalanche Enduro events and it has had a short blast around the French Pyrenees, the short version of this review is that I love it! Coming off of a slightly shorter travel, lighter trail bike I was slightly wary of using a 30lb plus, 150mm travel bike for all my riding but with careful rear shock setup the climbing ability belied both the weight and the travel, in the seat pedal feedback was slightly more than say a DW Link or a VPP machine like the Tracer VP we tested earlier in the year but in all honesty it is splitting hairs. Granted I could have flicked the switch on the pro pedal and solved the issue but personal preference has always kept it in fully open setting, partly because I don’t particularly like the “dead” feeling that comes from having the pro pedal on but also I have always thought of it as something out of a get out of jail card for less than perfect suspension designs, I want to know my bike is working well without the crutch of a pro pedal shock. Anyway, the Remedy, is certainly up there with the best when set at fully open, if not quite right at the top of the class. Climbing on the real steep stuff was helped by the 2 Step Lyrik on the front, allowing the fork to be slammed to 115mm and getting the weight up front to get up anything.

Point it downhill and the Remedy was noticeably stiffer than the Iron Horse MKIII I came off, which in hindsight was positively noodle like in comparison. This gave the Trek an air of stability and confidence about it that I had been missing from my previous ride and was particularly noticeable as speed picked up. A 67 degree head angle is about right for this type of bike in my experience, especially when coupled with the aforementioned 2 step fork to steepen things up slightly for the ups. Suspension action was excellent for front and rear air shocks though the front Lyrik never quite seemed to reach the levels of suppleness I have enjoyed on my Pike airs in the past, on the rear the RP23 performed well with the big air can keeping things sensitive over the small stuff, however  having seen the 2010 Remedys are sporting the new Fox DRCV dual chamber air shock I cant help but think the game will really pick up next year as air shocks continue to close the gap on their coil counterparts. It was noted following a previous review that I am not exactly a “big air merchant” but for what it is worth the Remedy also felt comfortable in the air!

The negatives? Despite assurances that the Lyrik 2 step form is over its travel creep problems of last year, after 3 months riding I had lost in the region of 5-10mm from the front fork. The issue was remedied swiftly by Fishers and touchwood has not returned, it is entirely possible that the fork on our test bike was still old spec internals, so we will see how the fixed fork continues to perform. Second gripe was that despite my best efforts the shifting, particularly on the rear never seemed quite as crisp as you would expect from a good XT setup, after much cleaning and lubing I can only put it down to a less than perfect cable routing though I would be interested to hear if other Remedy owners have similar experiences.

The Remedy, in all of its 3 guises, is certainly up there with the best long travel trail bikes I have got my hands on this year, but its August and in usual bike industry fashion next year is just round the corner and there is no shortage of manufacturers really stepping up their game in 2010 when it comes to long travel trail bikes, thankfully Trek have not rested on their laurels either, next year they will be bringing their OCLV carbon technology to the Remedy range, plus the latest technology in air shops in the shape of the previously mentioned dual chamber Fox DCRV. 2010 is going to be an interesting year!

Trek Remedy 8                  £2500

www.trekbikes.com for more information and dealer listings.