2017 Trek Remedy first ride
Ryan Howard leads the pack in the Squamish, BC trails.
What is it?
While the Fuel EX has been the best selling Trek bike in the line, the Remedy has always been the class clown for best fun bike with a few EWS wins here and there. It’s been the carver and jumper of the line as it hits the sweet spot for many All Mountain riders. It’s not the fastest up any hill but it’s one of the most fun going down.
Previously available in 27.5 and 29er, the new Remedy is now just a 27.5 bike to simplify the line and focus on travel and aggressive side of the bike. 29er fans bent on all out speed for racing down tracks will have to wait til later for upcoming options from Trek.
The changes
- More travel from 140mm to 150mm rear / 150mm front
- Significantly slacker geometry from 68/67.5 headtube to 66.5/66 degree hi/lo headtube
- Longer reach from 447 to 458 for a 19.5 in bike (low position)
- Lower bottom bracket from 341mm to 336mm. This is getting pretty darn low for a 150mm travel bike in the unsagged position. It’s a bold move by a Midwest based company but the Mino Link allows the user to raise the bike if necessary.
Now only in 27.5, the Remedy is more focused on fun-filled 150mm front and rear travel.
Straight Shot Downtube
Shared with The Trek Fuel EX, the Remedy also gets the new, huge, straight downtube Trek refers to as the Straight Shot Downtube. It is a downtube design that is massive and meets to steer tube in a straight shot, devoid of curves or the characteristic ‘gooseneck’ seen in many frames today. This produces a lighter & Stiffer frame because it avoids all the layering and strengthening required of carbon fiber to achieve the desired stiffness lost from all the curving and shaping that diverge from classic front triangle designs. It creates a classic triangle with massive tubes to offer better frame stiffness for the same weight.
A headset Knock Block and frame guards prevent any fork and frame collision.
Like the Fuel EX, the Remedy downside is the fork crown will not clear the downtube at almost 90 degree angles so special apparatus had to be designed in to prevent the fork from damaging the frame. To this end, Trek designed the Knock Block system which has a keyed stem to block the fork crown from hitting the frame. There is also bumper on the downtube as a failsafe from contact.
The test ride
For the test ride, we did more of the tech and jump trails Squamish had to offer. This is indeed the the playground of the Remedy as it was always composed on the steep, rooty lines. It’s a big, slack bike so technique and persuasion have to be used on the tightest corners. Lean forward and commit to corners and the bike will attack the turns. And as rider Casey Brown showed us, any rock ramp is an option line to get the bike up in the air. Land in a pile of rocks and the Remedy surfaces fine on the other end.
The bike begs to be jumped.
It’s slacker and longer than the Fuel EX but it has 27.5 wheels as opposed to 29. So it is easier to throw the bike around and play with it.
The Knock Block is there and it is something to get used to as it is the same sensation as the old triple clamp forks where the steering doesn’t quite go to 90 degrees. And although we didn’t extend that far while riding, it makes its presence known while stopped and moving the bike and such.
It’s not afraid of heights.
One of the downsides of the Remedy is starting to surface with the advent of longer dropper posts. Because of the bent seat tube, I could only use a maximum dropper length of 125mm. This wasn’t an issue a couple years ago but it’s more apparent now as most of my bikes now accept and have installed a 150mm dropper for my 5’8″ stature on a medium bike.
Continue to page 2 geometry and pricing details »
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