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2013 trek remedy 8
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
very interested in this bike, chasing comments positive and negative, mostly regarding the fox suspension, particularly the shock, climbing , descending and general feel, on paper this bike is very close to 2013 reign geometry, cheers in advance
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I was also thinking seriously about one of these after a demo on last years model & recent price drop.
Not an in depth review as I only had a couple of hours on it but here are my thoughts:
It's a very balanced bike to ride & in spec , it's a quality frame with good functional kit.
Compared to bikes like the Specialized Enduro it is more of an all rounder as it climbs & pedals better but isn't quite as hardcore on the really rough stuff.
I have ridden this, the Enduro & last years Reign & for me this was my favourite as I immediately felt confident to chuck it around, it wasn't as downhill/gravity biased as the Enduro & it felt more nimble than the Reign.
My only reservation was with the back end, I weigh about 87kg kitted up & the blew through the first 80% of travel a bit too easily despite setting the pressure & sag correctly. I think the dual chamber shock gives a very active rear end regardless of pressure & while this is great for comfort & downhill performance it does feel as if it it is wallowing a bit when the bike is used for general trail riding.
The shock is also not easily swapped due to the mid body mount but can be tuned.
I'd urge you to demo one as it is a great handling bike & IMO just the thing for the all round riding in WA.
T
brilliant bike.
i have the 2012 but hardly a difference.
climbs well, is an awesome skill compensator and my riding has improved tenfold compared to riding a hardtail. bombs mild DH runs like Mundaring, eats JF rocks, loves new gungin trails and still holds its own on XC. i even did Dwelli100 last year in sub 6 hrs with little training. its brilliant. only thing id like to try is the 2014 650b version to see if any differnt.
....if you weigh under 90kg.
I had a 2012 Remedy 8 with a few widgits chucked on (wide bars, Fox 36, 1x10, saint brakes....).
The shock is pretty good when descending and is the first time Ive understood the meaning of "bottomless" suspension however I did run around 35% sag to get decent traction. I bottomed it out many times but rarely if ever felt it. I had the cheap and cheerful shock (not the RP23) which was fine but not superb at climbing when flicked into stiff mode. If you add more air, I felt that you lost a lot of the S-M bump compliance.
Probably due to being a big strong bugger, I found the rear end a little flexible. Compared to my Mojo HD, there is a noticeable about of flex when hitting corners hard.
Oh and I sold my Remedy to another guy at my weight (120kg). He has just replaced the rear axle after it snapped on a fire trail (I do believe him when he said he was "just riding along when"...).
I would give thought to the Reign as you have the option of running it either as a lightweight bike (Fox 32s, light wheelset etc) or something a little more gravity orientated (coil shock, Fox 34 or 36 etc). That said, you can swap out the DRCV for a coil shock - (and I suppose normal air shocks). Plenty of advice on MTBR. If I had to get another Remedy I would look at a coil or perhaps a CCDBA.
Either way, I certainly wouldn't put you off getting one - they are a great bike and if you can get one for a a decent price, Im sure you will be very happy. Just don't buy it from CSC
the remedy 9 is a better frame using a much stiffer 142 x 12 rear axle and rp23 shock....but comes at a price. maybe get a 2012 remedy 9 cheap?
also see if the 32mm drcv fork suits your riding style as it is hard to preload when pushing into a jump.
I found at 85kg loaded up I was always bottoming out my 2011 remedy 9 with 220psi in the shock. So I had the rp23 tuned at TBSM....included adding 7.5mm of float fluid (same as adding shims) instead of the one 2.5mm sachet. The shock now ramps up more end stroke without bottoming out landing 5 foot to flat.
other mods included a zee 1x10 drivetrain, chainguide and a works components angleset to slacken the frame out. It is a great do it all bike and its downhill capability is only limited by the spindly 32mm fork.....
hope this helps
Peter
Just bought a remedy 9 and it is fantastic. Just as fast overall on xc trails as my old giant anthem but can handle a lot bigger downhil.. Obviously the 8 is different in the components but the general feel should be the same. If you get it I would highly recommend getting a dropper seat post to get the most out of the bike. The front shock, like reports from most CTD fit forks for 2013, is light on low speed compression so it does tend to have a lot of break dive but it is not a deal breaker for me. The rear shock is fantastic and I have had little trouble setting it up.
I went to the very helpful brookvale bike factory, looking at the fuels and remedys they had on sale as part of that recent Trek sale. I was originally interested in the fuel 8, but as I researched it more, I found that the remedy would probably suit me better, as the geometry and suspension was more suited to all mountain, and whilst my riding mainly consists of Manly Dam at the moment, I am starting to move towards more technical and downhill style trails. I organised to take the remedy 8 for a test ride around the Dam, but on the day, they were only able to organise a demo remedy 9, which I was fine with, but was a little unsure about paying the price difference. I took the bike for the test ride, and we detoured via the downhill at the end of wakehurst and he technical parts in the back of Allambie, and to put it simply, I fell in love. After the ride, I spoke with the guys from brooky and hey informed me that trek nationwide was out of my framesize for the remedy 8, so I would need to purchase a 9 or miss the sale. Looking back on my purchase (technically down payment on lay buy) for what you're getting for the extra ~$800, I think it is definitely worth it!
It is worth noting though that I bought the Bike on sale for $3499, and didn't pay the full price
cheers for the excellent reviews everyone!!! my biggest concern is the rear shock wallowing or blowing thru its travel, i like to huck and jump to flat and prefer progressive shocks with good mid and bottom support, rather than a linear "plush thru the stroke " feel.the quality of the frame and geo options are excellent and the part spec is quite good for the price.on paper the remedy is nearly identical to the medium sized 2013 reign(which im also looking at), my other concern is maybe the remedy is more of a long travel trail bike rather than an AM bike like the reign, hmmmm gotta think long n hard about this one, thanks everyone