trek remedy 8 green and blue

Review: The 2019 Trek Remedy 8 is a solid climber and supple descender

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Earlier this summer I spent an evening comparing a bunch of MTB brands’ entry-level trail bikes. A lot of these bikes sit a little over the $3000 USD mark, but at that price you won’t quite get a ‘total package’ bike. When I came across the Trek Remedy 8, I found what I was after – A build spec that didn’t cry out for upgrades.

Now the price tag on the Remedy 8 takes a step up from ‘entry-level’, but I thought those extra dollars were well accounted for. With a 12-speed Sram GX Eagle drivetrain and a Rockshox Lyric RC fork, this bike comes ready to rock. After testing the Remedy 8 for the last few months, I’d say my impressions held true – I don’t think you can spend much less on a bike that won’t leave you wanting.

If you’re in the market for a mid-spec bike that offers great value and uncompromised on-trail performance, Trek’s redesigned 2019 Remedy 8 is definitely a contender in this class.

What’s changed for 2019:

The most significant change is the new Remedy’s fixed lower shock mount.  Trek decided to do away with their Full-Floating suspension design, as they’ve determined a fixed mount offers advantages with longer travel bikes. A solid mount helps increase frame stiffness, reduces weight, and allows for shorter chainstays. They also say since air shocks are getting better at small bump compliance (which the full-floating design aimed to enhance), fixing the shock mount doesn’t sacrifice on-trail performance.

As for geometry, Trek didn’t make sweeping changes to the 2019 Remedy. The seat tube is now a bit steeper than before, and offers more insertion clearance to accommodate dropper posts. The new frame also provides more tire clearance, and can now run up to 27.5 x 2.8” treads.

The Remedy 8’s frame is built from Trek’s Alpha Platinum aluminum, and incorporates their beefy straight-shot down tube design and Knock Block headset. Between the shapely top tube, seat mast and the ground-out welds on the seat mast gusset, the frame could be mistaken for carbon at first glance. That is, until you notice the heavy-duty welds at all the other junctions.

The rear end provides 150mm of travel, which is controlled by a RE:activ tuned Rockshox Deluxe RT3 DebonAir rear shock. The Remedy includes Trek’s Mino Link flip chip, which alters the head tube angle by 0.5 degrees and the BB height by 7mm. I felt the bike’s lower/slacker mode was most suitable for my local trails, so I tested it in that setting for the majority of the time.

Ride Impressions:

One thing that might sound odd at first is the Remedy’s seat tube angle of 68° degrees. However, it’s important to remember this is the figure for the actual seat tube angle. Since the seat mast has quite a kink in the middle, the effective seat tube angle is actually a much steeper 74.7/74.2° in High/Low positions. The seat doesn’t wind up too far behind the bottom bracket, and I was still sitting in an aggressive position for pushing the pedals.

The Remedy’s 65.5 °  steering angle wasn’t too slack for climbing, and gives the bike stable handling on fast downhill sections.  The bottom bracket sits at 13.74″, which was high enough that I wasn’t smashing rocks with my pedals but still provides a low-feeling center of gravity.

Being a smaller guy, I like lightweight bikes. Even with its aluminum frame the Remedy 8 weighs in at 32lbs with pedals (which backs up Trek’s claim of 31lbs without).

In its stiffest setting the Rockshox Deluxe RT3 rear shock is very firm. While it will use about half its travel when prompted, it typically rides high and stiff making for a firm ride on bumpy trails. In the stiffest setting I found the rear end would clunk when meeting larger rocks or roots, or when it hit the ground after bouncing over an obstacle. Small bump compliance was good, so I’d recommend using the stiffest mode for logging roads or smoother surfaces.

My local trail’s climbs are mostly singletrack (above photo aside!), so almost all my climbing was done in the middle setting. This mode definitely offers the best balance of pedal support and comfort. I didn’t lose much pedalling efficiency in this setting, but the shock handled bumps much better. Some big bumps can still feel a bit harsh in this mode, so I’d say the Remedy’s uphill ride isn’t as plush as other suspension designs I’ve ridden (FSR and four-bar particularly) but the pedalling efficiency is noticeably better. I found the Remedy also pedalled quite well under standing sprints, only giving up a bit of additional bob.

After reading all about Trek’s RE:activ shock tune, I wondered if these harder uphill impacts were a by-product of the shock’s regressive damping curve . Ideally the shock is supposed to isolate pedaling inputs by resisting compressions at lower speeds, but I wonder if some larger bumps were mimicking that low-speed compression and producing more resistance than desired. Ultimately it was only occasional impacts that produced this clunky feel, which is a small price to pay for the bike’s excellent pedalling abilities.

On really technical climbs leaving the shock wide open will provide great traction and comfort, but there is some loss of efficiency. The bike will give up a little bob and sag rearwards into its travel, so I’d stick with the shock’s middle setting for anything but the roughest trails.

I also noticed the Remedy skips over chattery sections very well, and as claimed the ABP suspension remains highly active while braking. The wide-open shock willfully wallows into its travel, which leans the bike into a more aggressive downhill stance and makes it easy to get behind the saddle. While it softens trail inputs extremely well, the shock still provides enough mid-stroke support to pump you through rollers or berms, and resists bottoming out until you give it a good hard smack.

Another thing I noticed right away is the Remedy’s frame is very stiff. That big, straight down tube gives the bike carbon-like stiffness, which helps you plow straight and true through rough patches of trail. On the flipside, the well-rounded Remedy is still a snappy jumper that pops off roots and rocks easily.

Components:

Sram’s GX Eagle drivetrain performed without fault for my entire test. I’m stoked that mid-range drivetrains are as good as they’ve become, offering pretty crisp shifting and perfect chain retention thus far. With a 10-50t cassette and a 32t front ring, gear range was never a problem.

There are some house-brand Bontrager parts on the Remedy 8 including the handlebars and stem, the saddle, the 125mm Line dropper post, the Line Comp 30 wheelset and the XR4 Team Issue 2.6” tires. The Line post never gave me any mechanical issues, and I found the 125mm drop was sufficient for a medium-sized rider like myself. The Arvada saddle wasn’t my favorite but was fairly comfortable, so I never swapped it out.

The wheels feature 29mm internal width rims to spread out the 2.6” tires nicely, and they’ve taken no notable damage during my testing. I noticed the Bontrager tires roll very smoothly and quite fast for a fairly luggy MTB tread. They provide pretty solid grip overall, but not quite as much as the Maxxis Minions I got to try on this bike too.

Despite the Sram Guide R brakes having four pistons and 200/180mm rotors to grab, I was surprised to find them not biting as strongly as expected on some high-speed trails. 90% of the time they were perfectly fine, but when the trail goes from ‘high speed straight’ to ‘180 degree corner’ you’ll have to give these levers a good squeeze. ( Editor’s note: We’ve had varied performance out of the SRAM Guide brakes, but there are two things that have drastically improved any set with issues. First, make sure the compression nut at the lever is tight. We just had a set on a stock bike from the factory that were loose enough it was letting air in during the bleed. Second, once those compression nuts are tightened properly, give the brakes a proper full bleed. )

Trek’s 2019 Remedy 8 is a bike that I’d guess will either tempt a lot of buyers out of the entry level price range, or appeal to aluminum fans who are looking for a non-carbon bike with a solid component spec. I was very happy with the Remedy’s two-sided personality – It clenches its teeth when you’re cranking up the trail, yet devours big hits when it’s time to scream downhill. The Remedy 8 is available in Matte Trek Black or Miami Blue, and retails for $3999 USD.

trekbikes.com

Steve Fisher is a staff contributor for Bikerumor. Steve has been writing about trail, enduro and downhill mountain biking (plus a few commuter bikes) for seven years. Prior to that, Steve wrote for Whistler Traveller Magazine and Mountain Life Magazine. Steve is based in Pemberton, British Columbia, an area that offers plenty of challenging world-class singletrack and makes for great photos!

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It looks like the surprisingly slack ST result is more based on poor spec communication from TREK. On some of their other bikes they include an Effective ST Angle (see the Remedy 9.7 27.5 for example), from the BB to the saddle which is more relevant to positionals and handling, where on this bike they only show the angle that the seat post actually sits at. Effective ST Angle looks more like 74-76 degrees just by putting a protractor on the screen.

Correct- on any frame with a curved/offset seatpost, you can only have a defined STA at any given saddle height. The taller you are, the slacker it is. The listed STA is the angle of the upper portion of the tube relative to flat ground, but the seat tube starts out nearly vertical/forward. I have a 2019 fuel ex with about the same STA and the first time I hopped on it felt like a tri bike it was so steep

Effective vs actual seat tube angle…

I had a 2019 Remedy 8 as a loaner/demo. Coming from an older Remedy, the Lyric is an excellent upgrade to the suspension. But that Knock Block is a deal-breaker for me. I was blocked out of my very first turn on the bike during setup in my driveway. That’s a turn I easily accomplish on other bikes and not as tight as some of my most fun trail maneuvers or even a good, long trackstand. There’s no use for a bike that I can’t point where I need it to go.

Get someone who has a background in bike journalism to explain the difference between actual set angle and effective seat angle to you.

Great review, thanks!

Hello readers; Regarding the seat tube angle… I must admit, when I re-read my text is sounded like I had given no consideration to the difference between actual and effective seat tube angles, which on this bike was probably worth mentioning. Trek’s website doesn’t list an effective STA, only the actual (and only in the mino link’s High position). My concern was people seeing that number and coming away thinking that the seat tube is super slack on this bike, so I felt the need to mention that it really isn’t. I’ve made an edit to the article which should clear this issue up. I will also get in touch with Trek and see if they can provide me with an effective seat tube angle for the new Remedy, and hopefully I’ll add that in soon. I’m actually glad these comments popped up, they made me realise I could have explained that much better. Happy trails!

Please bring the Remedy 29 back !

No need. This 27.5 Remedy absolutely shreds and climbs briliantly. I happily keep up with mates on more XC style 29ers on the ups and fly on the downs. I was all set to get a 29er but got a great deal on a 2019 Remedy 8 and couldn’t be happier. So playful and fun….absolutely stoked!

Hi Max, What size did you get? I am 182 cms and thinking the 19.5 but I have read reviews that they feel small.

I’ve put a FOX DPS shock to 2018 Remedy’s, and I realized how big piece of crap is that Deluxe RT3 with Re:activ valve. Now the suspension works as it should be!

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Trek Remedy 8 27.5 first ride review

Lively trail bike that’s a real blast to ride

Robin Weaver

The second-cheapest bike in Trek’s six-strong Remedy line-up still packs one hell of a punch when it comes to value and character on the trail.

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Trek Remedy 8 27.5 specifications

• Frame : Alpha Platinum aluminium, 150mm (5.9in) travel
• Fork: RockShox Lyrik RC Solo Air, 160mm (6.3in) travel
• Shock: RockShox Deluxe RT3 RE:aktiv
• Cranks: Truvativ Descendant
• Rear derailleur: SRAM GX Eagle
• Shifters: SRAM GX Eagle, 12spd
• Wheelset: Bontrager Line Comp 30 wheels
• Tyres: Schwalbe Nobby Nic ADDIX SpeedGrip Snakeskin TL Easy 27.5x2.35in tyres
• Brakes: SRAM Guide R
• Bar: Bontrager Line 35, 780mm
• Stem: Bontrager Line 35, 50mm
• Seatpost: Bontrager Drop Line 125mm dropper
• Saddle: Bontrager Evoke 2
• Sizes: 15.5in, 17.5in, 18.5in, 19.5in, 21.5in
• Weight: 13.84kg (30.5lb), 18.5in size without pedals

Trek Remedy 8 27.5 frame

I opted for the alloy Remedy 8 over the identically priced 9.7, which has a carbon frame but a lesser spec.

Both share the same frame features, including the Mino Link chips that make it a doddle to switch between the bike’s high and low geometry settings. In the high mode, the bike had a head angle of 66.4 degrees, its bottom bracket sat 345mm off the floor and it had a reasonable 445mm reach.

The low setting slackens the head (and seat) angle by 0.5 degrees and lowers the bottom bracket by nearly 10mm. Another neat touch is the Knock Block steering limiter. This ensures the fork crown won’t spin around and smash into the Remedy’s straight down tube (made so to increase stiffness and reduce weight).

The 150mm (5.9in) of rear wheel travel is controlled by a RockShox Deluxe RT3 shock, complete with Trek’s proprietary RE:aktiv tune. This is clamped between the EVO rocker link and extended chainstay tips.

Internal cable routing keeps the bike looking clean and uncluttered, but means maintenance won’t be quite as faff free. Not everyone will be a fan of the press-fit bottom bracket.

Trek Remedy 8 27.5 kit

My bike was delivered with Schwalbe Nobby Nic tyres in place of the Bontrager XR4 Team Issues that should come as standard. After flatting the Schwalbes all too easily, it was a relief when Trek sent over some XR5s, which proved far more resilient to puncturing and offered more consistent grip in the wet conditions I tested the Remedy in.

Trek has ditched its habit of sticking travel-adjust forks on the Remedy this year, which is no bad thing. The Remedy 8 comes with RockShox’s formidable Lyrik RC, which pumps out a well-controlled 160mm (6.3in) of travel.

Trek Remedy 8 27.5 ride

The Remedy really is a class all-rounder. Point it uphill and it’ll claw its way up just about any pitch without fuss and feels reasonably stable under power, even with the shock left in its open mode.

That eagerness is helped by the bike’s relatively low weight and, with the Schwalbe tyres (in the ADDIX SpeedGrip compound) fitted, what felt like little in the way of rolling resistance.

Even after I made the change to the more robust Bontrager rubber, the Remedy was still keen to get going, and the grip on offer was more predictable, even on wet rocks and roots. They’re tougher too and won’t have you wincing every time you clatter into a rock section, waiting for the sound of air escaping.

Its suspension balance is impressive too, with plenty of control up front and a sensitive yet supportive feel at the rear, which adds to its playful yet confident feel on the trail.

The frame is taut, responsive and accurate when you load it hard into a turn or hop from line to line, and the low-slung bottom bracket (in the low setting) means its surefooted through the corners.

While it may not feel like a super-stable, point-and-shoot downhill bomber on really roughed up, high-speed trails, its composure and well-measured delivery of its travel meant I never felt out of our depth.

The Remedy 8 is a great all-rounder that’s a blast to ride, no matter what trail lies ahead.

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Trek Remedy 8 review

• Alan Muldoon
• April 23, 2019

Now 2.6in tyres and ample clearance for 2.8in Plus size rubber

Product Overview

Overall rating:, trek remedy 8, manufacturer:, price as reviewed:.

Trail Bike of the Year in association with Alpinestars

Blink, and you could miss the latest round of revisions to the Trek Remedy 8. The biggest change to the frame is move away from Full Floater shock mount.

>>> Trail Bike of the Year 2019

Previously, the shock on the Remedy was mounted to an extension of the swingarm, allowing Trek’s engineers a degree of wiggle room to vary the progression rate of the 150mm suspension as the shock compresses. Ideal before the advent of volume reducers and custom tuned shocks, but much less relevant now.

The RE:aktiv damped RockShox Deluxe RT3 shock pumps out 150mm travel and gets a three position threshold lever

So full-floater is gone, the lower shock mount now wedged neatly between the seat tube and down tube. A move that also places the shock lower in the frame, allowing the upper linkage to shift down too, making it easer to accommodate 150mm dropper posts . The frame is also 100g lighter and 5 per cent stiffer.

The seat tube angle had also been tipped forward a full degree, so you don’t have to tip you’re weight so far forward on the climbs. Trek retains the Mino-link, a small asymmetric chip in the rocker that offers two geometry settings. The bike now ships in the low setting and with the 2.6in tyres raising the BB height the high position is somewhat redundant.

Trek has always looked to gain a performance advantage with proprietary suspension components, the most recent development being its RE:aktiv valve. On the outside the RockShox RT3 shock on the 150mm travel Remedy looks like any other, but Trek’s custom internals give the suspension a unique response. It’s stable when pedalling but retains good small bump sensitivity. Also the damping ramps up to provide a hydraulic pillow on harsh drops and compressions.

Up front, the 160mm travel RockShox Lyrik RC fork needs no introduction. And while the Remedy doesn’t benefit from the top-end Charger RC2 damper, it still gets the bigger volume Debonair negative air spring and low friction seals, making it buttery smooth. Its real strength though, is that it’s super easy to set up.

Notice anything different on the Remedy compared to the other bikes? That’s right, the down tube is straight, rather than kinked at the headtube. This makes for a stiffer, lighter frame but has some knock on effects, namely; the fork crown hitting the downtube.

To prevent this the Remedy has a steering lock headset. Trek dubbed it Knock Block and sits just behind the top race of the headset. It’s a replaceable component designed to fail in a massive impact, which is why the frame also has protective bump-stops on the downtube. The head seat spacers and stem are both keyed to interlock with the headset, but you can use a normal stem providing you have a female conversion spacer.

Performance

Why so much detail on Knock Block? Well it’s important to highlight that it doesn’t limit your turning circle, even on the steepest switchbacks. It does make it tricky to get the bike into the back of a car though, because even with the front wheel out the handlebar won’t lie flat.

More importantly, the Remedy 8 comes with 30mm of interlocking headset spaces, three 10mm spacers to be precise. At max height the handlebar felt too tall, causing the bike to run wide on flat turns. Drop it done 10mm and it felt too low for steep chutes. Given that the spacers are custom, Trek really should replace one of the 10mm spacers with two 2.5mm spacers and a 5mm, so you can fine tune the bar height.

Size wise the Remedy 8 felt a little short and tall for the second largest size in a five strong range, the height of the seat mast making it nigh on impossible to upsize.

It still a really capable bike, and even though it’s one of the longer travel bikes in test, with gravity focused suspension that settles in under braking to make the bike feel more stable on the steepest descents, thanks to the stiff frame and RE:aktiv damper it’s no slouch on the climbs either.

All of the changes to the 2019 Remedy 8 are positive. The steeper seat angle helps with climbing, the 2.6in tyres increase traction and the lower shock position and 150mm dropper improve standover clearance and fit. Trek is still a touch too conservative with it sizing though. Yes, there are five sizes on offers but biggest option available only has a 475mm reach measurement….Hardly XL proportions. In fact, it’s sizing that’s the only thing holding the Remedy back as all other aspects of the bike are sorted. It even looks top dollar.

2022 Trek Remedy 8 Bike (discontinued)

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Specifications

Sizes and geometry.

trekbikes.com

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