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2017 trek remedy rsl review


badchef's picture

By badchef - Posted on 10 July 2017

NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.

After owning this bike for 6 months i thought i would do a review....
Size is 19.5 and i am 173cm tall, this fits me perfectly although the seatube is a little taller than i would like ,and in the steep stuff the seat can bang me in the arse (????)forcing me foward a little more than i would want, i have remedied (no pun) this by using a 35mm rise bar instead of stock and cutting width to 760mm.
I run the bike in the steeper setting everywhere and the geometry etc feels balanced.overall im happy with sizing and glad i didnt go down to a 18.5.
Now im gunna get this out of the way , its a heavy pig. 15.5kg with pedals...yep,tubless, it can feel a bit sluggish in the tight flatter stuff and bobs a bit with out the rear lockout on, but with lockout on it sits high in the rear and
motors up everything i ride around gungin, making the bike feel lighter than it is.
Goind down and jumping is what this bike is built for, the weight is less apparent and the geo really starts to shine, this bike has really given me the confidence to go harder and ride things i previously got off and walked around.
Now for the bad stuff....
Seat dropper lasted half a dozen rides..
Rear hub was dragging and not engaging , slipping under load pedalling out of corners.
The deluxe rt3 shock was sticky off the top and blew through its travel too quick, even though it had 2 volume spaces fitted....
The lyrik fork had problems with the air valve on top of left leg, thus not connecting a shock pump properly...
And the latest.... ive cracked the rear triangle, non drive side near a brake cable tab about 6 to 7 inches from the main lower pivot.....yep not happy man...

To be fair my lbs has been really good and taken care of it all..
New seat dropper warranty..
Repacked rear hub with better grease, no skipping now good engagement..
Sent shock off to rockshox, rs inspected and serviced it (no problem with it they say), but shock is now smooth off the top and feels more progressive....
Lbs replace air valve in fork, works perfect now...
Waiting on replacement rear triangle from the US of A, nearly 3 weeks but that Oz for ya....

So in summary i like the fit and geometry, all the specced parts work well, its heavy and needs to be muscled everywhere but i like that, its not nimble and flicky, just kinda point n shoot, no restrictions from knockblock, cant feel it riding,its a heavy duty bike for heavy duty riding.....until it brakes

dave86's picture

My first post so hello all.

Nice review thanks, I'm in the market for this sort of bike. Had a look at one of these today actually, not much left in 2017 stock. If you don't mind me asking, what were circumstances of dropper/triangle failure?

Fyi currently riding 2010 specialized pitch
http://www.bikeradar.com/au/gear/category/bikes/...

Cheer, Dave

badchef's picture

Dropper failure, dunno what caused it, after only 4 rides, none wet or muddy,the post wouldnt hold its position and kept returning to full extension, my lbs stripped it down and serviced it, the dropper worked ok for a couple of rides then did it again, lbs contacted trek and a replacement was sent next day no questions asked,for the last 6 months its been perfect, even after a couple of wet rides...as for the crack in frame it was on non driveside chainstay, about 8 inches along next to the tab that the brake cable attaches to, ive been riding some fun descending trails in the weeks leading up to it cracking, but nothing rough enough to crack a frame, the jumps and drops i do are modest so i dont think that is the problem,just a weak point in the frame, cracked rear frames werent uncommon on 2016 models either (slightly different design), but heres the kicker, i was in nsw last week n saw a couple of wc pinners at awaba dh track,one was a trek sponsored racer, i told them i had cracked the rear on my remedy and before i could tell them where they gave me the answer, apparently a few already in nsw, my advice would be if you like speciaized fsr stick with it, my mates have a 2016 enduro and it feels more poppy n sits higher in travel than my trek, they pedal about the same but the geo is way better on trek(im 174cm and ride a 19.5 perfect for me)...ive tried a 2017 enduro 650b n felt cramped even with 60mm stem...im not saying treks are bad just a few problems with mine, hope it hasnt confused you more

TheOneRing's picture

I have owned the Remedy 9 RSL for almost a year and absolutely love it. It is certainly the best bike that I have had an opportunity to ride by a wide margin.

I am 175cm. The bike is a medium (18.5) and it fits perfectly. No need to adjust the stock handlebars or stem and no issues with saddle clearance on the descents. The 780mm bar took a few months to get used to, being about 80-100mm wider than my previous bike. I had to adjust my lines through some tight sections of Sydney's Northern Beaches trails. Now that I am used to the width, I wouldn't want anything else.

Mine weighs approximately 14.5kg with pedals, compared to Trek's quoted weight of 14.15kg without pedals. Whilst the bike was over 1kg heavier than my previous Remedy 9, I didn't notice by ride 3. On climbs, the wider rims provide superior traction so it is actually a better climber than the lighter, older bike.

It is built for enduro riding and is brilliant on the descents. The Lyric fork is buttery smooth. I can't imagine a better fork. The rear Deluxe RT3 was very good, but the compression damper developed an issue and went back under warranty. Have to say that SRAM and Clarence St Cyclery were amazing. I ended up with an upgraded Super Deluxe RC3 as a warranty replacement and it just takes the bike to the next level. With this suspension package and the frame geometry set in the low position, I am finding speed and confidence in the descents that I have never experienced before.

As mine was one of the very first models, it came with a Reverb instead of the Bontrager dropper. Like many other Reverbs, it developed an issue. Again, SRAM were excellent and provided a new one under warranty.

Other than that, I haven't really had any issues and I have no complaints. The bike is excellent.

dave86's picture

After a fair bit of procrastinating, I went with the Trek Fuel Ex7 2018 29er. Although I really love the Enduro class and the Remedy, went for for a trail bike after considering that the majority of my riding is well matched to this bike. Only been for one ride at Knapsack but so far so good, it felt fast. Hope to add more comments once I get used to the bike. Thanks for comments, cheers. Dave

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