trek remedy 9 2015 geometry

Trek Remedy 9 29 (2015) longterm review

• Jamie Darlow
• January 27, 2016

Does F1-inspired suspension bring benefits to mountain biking?

Product Overview

Overall rating:, trek remedy 9 29.

• The first ride: on flowy trails, with stock quick-rolling rubber, the Remedy was a rocketship
• Tweaking the geometry and getting the most from an already good bike
• On tour at Coed-y-Brenin, where the Remedy made mincemeat of the trail centre terrain
• My first Remedy crash, OTB when the front wheel got hooked up in a corner
• Discovering the Mino Link adjustable geometry doesn’t push things low and slack enough
• End of the road: the 2016 Remedy won’t be available in the UK as a 29er

Manufacturer:

Price as reviewed:.

• 29er trail bike with 140mm travel and enduro-bike stiffness
• Newfangled RE:aktiv damper from Fox and Penske Racing
• Mino link adjustable geometry to fettle head angle and BB height
• Internal cabling, 1×11 drivetrain, Reverb Stealth dropper post

What attracted you to the Trek Remedy 9 29?

The colour, the fact it cost more than my car, and the stunning array of technology firsts from Trek. Plus-size bikes are spreading Boost 148 hub popularity far and wide, but the Remedy got there first, with its ultra-wide back end and stiffer rear wheel.

Then there’s the new RE:aktiv shock, designed with Fox and US race-car engineers Penske to give more pedalling support and still offer a plush feel for maximum grip. The Holy Grail?

Did you change anything straightaway?

It’s so long ago, memory fails me, but a close look at the photos from my first report, back in May, show something alarming — a saddle pack slung underneath the seat , presumably holding tools. The shame of it; ruining the Trek’s lines with that monstrosity.

I swapped the dry tyres for muds a few weeks later, fitted a wider bar and shorter stem and added a mudguard that I’ve never had cause to remove.

Was the bike easy to set up?

Yes, initially. You have to cycle the shock through at least 50 per cent travel when setting it up to ensure air gets into its second DRCV chamber, but that’s the only difference from a regular full-sus configuration — set the sag to 30 per cent and go riding. The hard work came later.

How did it ride?

The RE:aktiv shock didn’t deliver on its promise. I mean that in a good way, the Remedy doesn’t have the pedalling platform it boasts of, but I really couldn’t give a flying lump of mud — the suspension is incredibly sensitive and it makes the bike feel exciting, full of pop and brilliantly fast.

It’s very active on climbs though, so I’d flip the blue lever to climb mode, where you can actually hear the tick of the valve inside the shock opening and closing as you pedal.

Watch how to fit offset hardware

The bottom bracket is too high to really feel comfortable at speed though, so I set about lowering the bike with offset shock hardware.

And if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well, I thought, so I added angled cups too and slackened the head angle to 65 degrees. I’m left with a long, low and slack trail bike that feels brilliant.

Did anything break or wear out?

No, it’s so sturdy it feels unbreakable. You wouldn’t expect breakages on this top-end equipment either.

If you could change one thing about your longtermer what would it be?

Trek fits an increased offset fork to the Remedy, and I think the idea is to make the steering quicker. That’s bad in my book though, I want it slow and controlled, so I’d do away with that and fit a Pike with regular offset.

Would you buy this bike and why?

Six months ago, half way through the test, I’d have said no. But now I’ve worked out how easy and cheap it is to sort the Remedy, I’ve got to say yes. The bike’s a lot of money but it’s worth it: light, stiff and brilliant. The colour’s too garish for me though.

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Trek Remedy 9.9 29 - Review

Cool Features

Trek Bikes Remedy 9 29 2015

Reviews / Enduro Bikes

• Enduro Bikes

At A Glance

Every year Trek seems to add an acronym or two to the features list that describes their bikes. You could call it marketing or propriety loading, or you could call it evolution. Over the years their ABP Convert, Full Floater, E2, DRCV etc. have been hailed as the answer to problems that the average rider hasn’t really been aware of.

The fact that the accumulation of all of the above developments have resulted in some of the most competently performing mountain bikes available today suggests that evolution is king. So what have Trek got in store for us this time? Read on as this year Trek may have just surpassed themselves!

We tested the Remedy 9 29 which is the alloy version, it comes in a “love it or hate it” blue and orange; personally I hated it, but have grown to only mildly dislike it now. Some friends, however, have been quite smitten with it, so it’s obviously got that ‘Marmite effect’. The next model up comes in carbon and features a quieter black and red livery.

So apart from a ‘look at me’ colour way what have Trek tweaked for this years’ Remedy? Well this is the 29er Remedy so it now benefits from Boost148, this is a wider hub spacing. What this allows is a wider hub flange, which in turn allows for a wider spoke base, this gives a claimed 15% increase in the strength of the rear wheel.

There is a knock-on effect that means a custom crank is used to ensure the Q factor remains the same, but the chainline is stepped out by 3mm. A further knock-on is wider chainstays so larger volume tyres will fit. It’s an interesting development aimed at 29er bikes with a goal to stiffen the rear wheel.

Next up is the development of the RE:aktiv rear shock. It looks like a Fox DRCV shock and it is a Fox DRCV shock, the difference is that Trek went and got Penske involved. Penske Racing is a specialist, bespoke, high-end suspension company. They supply suspension to at least half of the Formula 1 racing teams and many other top end automotive racing teams across the globe.

The RE in the RE:aktiv is reference to the Penske regressive damper. This is a spring-loaded valve. When the valve is closed it applies low speed compression, this allows a firm pedalling platform and resists geometry changes bought about during body weight shifts etc. The shock holds up well in normal trail riding situations.

When a high pressure spike occurs a large amount of oil is allowed to flow through the shim assembly, giving instant plushness, yet as the spike continues the resistance created as the oil flows through the ports increases high speed resistance, avoiding bottoming and controlling the stroke throughout its range. In layman’s terms, you get electronic shock performance without any need for batteries.

Up front a Rock Shox Pike RC 140mm fork with custom G2 Geometry slots into the E2 headtube. Drivetrain duties are handled with aplomb by Sram X1 11-speed kit and the brakes are Shimano XT. Bontrager Expert tyres in 2.3 guise adorn the Sram 30 wheelset with the custom Boost148 rear wheel. A Rock Shox Reverb stealth is the highlight of the finishing kit. Bontrager provide 750mm wide low-rise bars, 70mm stem and an Evoke saddle.

Trek Remedy 9 29 Low Setting Actual 18

Seat tube 457mm Effective top tube 597mm Head tube 105mm Chain stay 445mm Front triangle 734mm Wheel base 1179mm BB height 350mm Head angle 67.5° Seat angle 74° Reach 434 Stack 611

Weight w/o pedals 29.1lbs

On The Trail

Straight off the bat the Remedy 9 felt right. The riding position is comfortable, with weight distribution feeling nicely placed in the centre of the bike. There is a slight bias toward weighting the front wheel but not so much as to feel too racy or create any wrist discomfort.

Get on the pedals and the bike glides smoothly on the fast rolling Bontrager rubber, they are a summer combination but held up well throughout the test, which saw its fair share of wet conditions. There is more to this easy speed than the rubber though, this is the first signs of what the new RE:aktiv shock is all about.

The bike just feels stable. Point it up and it holds itself like a lady with a straight back, it does not sink into its travel.

It pedals uphill with ease, a sort of calmness; efficient yet active. It is not the ruthless efficiency of some VPP designs, nor the open, active feel of some others. The position is such that only very minor shifts in weight are required and when it comes time to clamber up and over steps or rooty sections the rear wheel tracks the ground with subtlety.

It is on what I refer to as ‘trails’ that the Trek Remedy 9 29 impressed the most. Those trails that have a bit of everything; flow, drops, ups and downs, roots, rocks…you get the picture. On these sections the bike really does give confidence. Get on the gas and the bike is stiff and reactive, keep the hammer down over choppy ground and the bike seems to take the top off the bumps, feedback is clear but not harsh.

Hit a series of corners and it grips hard, the rear staying composed, tight and then getting just light enough on the exit to make flicking the bike over for the next one a dream. Hit a big root bed at Mach 5 and the RE:aktiv shock responds in an instant, opening the shock and then controlling the stroke, off the root bed and it is back to a stable hard pedalling platform again.

The shock has the usual Fox CTD settings, the Climb and Trail modes make use of the RE:aktiv damper whilst the Descend mode leaves the shock wide open. In the past we always found ourselves fiddling with the knob or worse still forgetting we had left it in the Climb mode halfway down a hill.

If you leave this shock in Trail mode it just does all the work for you. You can ride around all day and not feel like you are missing out. In fact in the Descend mode the shock loses some of it’s lively feel and almost deadens the bike. Trek and the team at Penske have really worked wonders here, it’s active suspension without the need for you to twist levers to get the most out of it.

It’s not every mile you ride that can be filled with features though, many if not most miles are on tracks and paths. Here the Remedy really is a mileage muncher, calmly swallowing up the distance yet always happy to play on any little ledges or lips that may present themselves.

Heading downhill is a similar story; the balanced position and superbly controlled suspension make the Remedy 9 an accomplished and eager performer. Stable enough to give confidence yet agile enough to be fun, the Trek was never intimidated and proved itself capable of taking on some proper features, including drops of around 8 feet, landings were extremely well controlled.

The ride - it is taut yet comfortable, calm yet capable, and always composed.

Flow is in this bikes DNA, it just rolls so beautifully through corners and over any terrain, always keeping you informed but never hitting the panic button.

This bike is super-efficient; it’s not just pedalling efficient, it climbs so well, rolls so fast and carries momentum with such aplomb it almost feels like cheating!

Propriety parts, as Trek continue to develop their bikes they are introducing more custom fit parts. This is great on the one hand as it moves technology forwards, but early adopters will be limited for choice for replacements while the component manufacturers catch up.

So have Trek continued their quest to perfect the mountain bike or are Boost148 and RE:aktiv shocks something of a gimmick?

Firstly, Boost148, the introduction of wider rear hubs for long travel 29ers makes good sense and Trek have made a bold move by making a start with the introduction of Boost148.

It is fair to say that the rear end on the Trek Remedy 9 29 was certainly stiff; it was more a stiffness that we did not think about though, rather than flexibility that we noticed, it’s a good balance between feel and response.

Secondly, RE:aktiv, simply put; superb!

The DRCV shock has always impressed, but the addition of the RE:aktiv damper has really pushed the boundary of what a shock can do.

The Remedy rode fantastically, the levels of control exhibited by the RE:aktiv shock were in fact shocking!

Add to this the excellent Pike up front, a solid spec list and the benefit of years of evolution in terms of geometry, and yes, all those acronyms, and you get one very capable machine.

The Remedy 29 is one of the easiest, most stable and confidence-inspiring bikes on the planet…period.

This review was in Issue 34 of IMB.

Trek Bikes Slash 9.8

Santa cruz bicycles nomad c, mondraker foxy rr, commencal meta am v4, ghost bikes riot lt 8 lc, commencal meta v4 race, cube bikes stereo 140 super hpc tm 27.5, trek bikes slash 9 27.5, trek bikes remedy, trek bikes slash 9, trek bikes scratch air 8, transition bikes spire cf.

By Rou Chater Rou Chater is the Publishing Editor of IMB Magazine; he’s a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, but his passion for bikes knows no bounds. His first mountain bike was a Trek 820, which he bought in 1990. It didn’t take him long to earn himself a trip to the hospital on it, and he’s never looked back since. These days he’s keeping it rubber side down, riding locally and overseas as much as possible.

Tried this? What did you think?

2015 Trek Remedy 9.8 29 Bike (discontinued)

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• Rider Notes

2015 Trek Remedy 9.8 29

A 29″ carbon frame full suspension trail bike with ultra high-end components. Compare the full range

For This Bike

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A bike with lower gearing will be easier to ride up steep hills, while a higher top end means it will pedal faster down hills.

Remedy 9.8 29

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I must admit I wasn’t super excited to hear there was a Trek Remedy waiting for me to test ride during Crankworx, as the plan was to spend the day in the Whistler Bike Park. If we were hitting the trails I would have been thrilled, but before I actually saw the new bike I …

Jan 2016 · Sjones

One of the best 140mm bikes we've ever ridden

Jan 2016 · Jamie Darlow

We've spent 10 months aboard the Trek Remedy 9 29, here's our thoughts

The first ride: on flowy trails, with stock quick-rolling rubber, the Remedy was a rocketship

Tweaking the geometry and getting the most from an already good bike

On tour at Coed-y-Brenin, where the Remedy made mincemeat of the trail centre terrain

My first Remedy crash, OTB when the front wheel got hooked up in a corner

Discovering the Mino Link adjustable geometry doesn’t push things low and slack enough

End of the road: the 2016 Remedy won’t be available in the UK as a 29er

Dec 2015 · Josh Patterson

Light, fast and incredibly capable. Buy if you are looking for an incredibly capable trail bike and are willing to make some tweaks

An efficient climber and incredible descender in one lightweight package

Stock wheels and tires hold back the bike’s potential

Needs a firmer shock tune for aggressive riding

The best travel companions are fun, interesting and relaxed. But when it comes to bikes and not people to travel with it pays to be light, smooth and versatile, right? It’s our pleasure to introduce to you our new Pine Lime Express – the 2016 Trek Remedy 9.8 27.5. The second half of our Flow Nation fleet …

Holeproof component choice.

Shimano XT.

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Double chainring not entirely necessary for us.

Aug 2015 · Daniel Schlicke

As we see in every round of the EWS, 29ers work for racing. We’ve put the Remedy 29 to the test to find out if it also can convince at our post-work rides.

Jun 2015 · The Editors of Bicycling

Bigger turns out to be better on this speedy, 140mm-travel trail 29er mountain bike

First added June 29

Last updated June 29

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