Trek Remedy R8 Review - BikeRadar

Trek’s 150mm-travel (5.9in) bike was already one of our favourite rides – the ABP/Full Floater chassis giving a really well balanced, aggressive all-rounder feel. Add the unique DRCV shock from Fisher, and this Trek becomes the remedy to nearly all trail ills.

Ride & handling: Versatile all-round ride

As long-travel machines go, the Trek is fairly light (13.38kg/29.49lb without pedals), thanks in part to the speccing of a standard seatpost instead of an adjustable unit.

There’s plenty of breathing space in the lowered front end, while the relaxed – but not downhill race slack – head angle and steep seat angle stop the front end wandering too much on technical climbs. The easy-rolling tyres mean it rarely feels as heavy as it is, although mass inevitably takes its toll on long climbs.

There’s no feeling that it’ll panic or snap round underneath you and balanced proportions keep it predictable at speed. It’s light enough to chuck around too.

The new DRCV shock enhances the already standout Full Floater feel. It’s a simple yet ingenious shock, using two chambers separated by a push rod valve that opens halfway through the stroke. This gives a firmer feel through the first half of travel for purposeful pedalling and cornering accuracy.

Once the second chamber opens though, the shock continues with a more linear but still controlled feel. It can seem a bit tight at Trek’s recommended sag pressures, but run it slightly soft and overall control and consistency is better than almost any conventional large air can systems we’ve used.

The ABP pivot tracks the ground really well, so braking and climbing traction are great. While square edges can catch it out more than four-bar bikes, the big volume tyres keep pinch flats at bay when you’re ignoring the geology and making the most of gravity.

They also counter the less supple small bump reactions of the Fox TALAS fork (compared to the 09 Fox or FLOAT FIT forks). The deeper damping TALAS does come into its own on rocky, sections though.

The structural flex in the fork, wheels and relatively narrow bar are offset by the underlying chassis stiffness and overall balance of the Remedy. It performs well on descents, and on flatter terrain it’s one of the fastest long-travel bikes around.

Frame: Stiff, well balanced chassis with supple rear suspension

Trek have taken a simple mainframe layout and drilled right down into the detail to get impressive results. The big, angular E2 integrated headset head tube is embedded into similarly geometrically enhanced main tubes, which also share a long weld seam.

The hexagonal top tube tapers in a straight line to the rear with a small gusset ahead of the extended seat tube. The shallow S-bend down tube is flared at both ends for maximum joint area, and the seat tube swells to swallow the main pivot too.

The angular one-piece Evo rocker joins the shock and mainframe to the square seatstays. An ABP Race skewer then pins them to the asymmetrically set rectangular chainstays, co-axially to the hub centre. The lower end of the shock then also mounts onto the curved front extension of the chainstays to complete a fully floating rear suspension circuit.

The Remedy's practicality is impressive too, with ample clearance around the massive balloon tyres and neat cross-over cable routing round the seat tube. You also get a double-ended clip-on sag meter for easy shock and fork setup.

Equipment: Lightweight build shows in the fork and wheels, which are flexy when pushed hard

The Remedy is trail- rather than gravity-based in spec terms. That includes a 15mm axle, 32mm stanchion Fox TALAS fork and a standard triple-ring Shimano XT chainset. We never lost the chain – even on rough descents – but you might want to fit a rock ring or chainguide if you’re airborne a lot.

Avid Elixir CR brakes do their usual excellent job of controlling speed, although we’re not sure why Trek have used solid rather than vented rotors. Bontrager’s mid-weight, mid-strength Rhythm kit makes up the majority of the rest of the gear. None of it’s outstanding, but it’s okay.

Fans of reasonably fast, fun-to-slide monster volume tyres will love the Bontrager XDXs, and both the rims and tyres are tubeless-ready if you add sealant goo. Plus Trek are getting in on the custom detailing act with red anodised headset, steerer spacers and grip collars.

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