Tell me bad things about Trek Remedy 8 ( or good)

Anyone got one, used one or seen one in a forest some time ago and thought ” wow that looks ….”?

Thinking of getting one for my 15 yo son. He likes jumping and going down easy things fast and tricky things not so fast.

My concerns are:
1) it’ll be reet heavy for him to pedal up hills
2) it’s got silly little wheels and i prefer 29s so we can swap bits, and cos they’ll make gnar easier/ faster.

But then 2 mitigates 1 a bit.
And who cares how slow he is, he ain’t pinning on a number.

Apart from those 2, a Remedy 8 at £2,400 seems like a bargain….
Tell me

some have propriatary shocks/fittings. Apart from that they’re an excellent Ford Focus type bike… just nicely put together, nice touches, nice finish… There’s the knockblock headset to consider on some if that worries you.

Another of this parish has one and rates it highly. He skins me on climbs, but then, he is half my weight, and 3 times my fitness level 😂 he hated the SRAM brakes and swapped them for something else as they didn’t have the XT version at the time.

Alternatively, you could get a Vitus Mythique AMP for under £2k at the moment – only 10mm less travel; cheaper esp for a growing person’s bike.

Mythique AMP

Edit: at £2400 I’d be tempted though

I’ve had one and I would have another, they are well put together and pretty hardy. Although they seem heavy, it doesn’t feel it when riding.
My only complaint was the paint seemed very thin so it didn’t take much to get to bare metal. Nothing a bit of tape wont fix but worth being aware of especially if it is for a teen.

I came very close to buying one last year. The other option is the Trek Slash – that’s also a 29er.

They look good, have a high spec’ for the price and seem pretty capable for all sorts of riding.

I decided to buy an Airdrop Edit – but the geometry etc… of the Edit is very similar.

I had one for years. Loved it, I also had the Fuel Ex at the same time and didn’t notice massive differences climbing wise.
If 29er is an issue is it not worth looking at a Slash? But £2400 for a Remedy 8 is a proper bargain.

I’d have one again in a heartbeat.

YOu can get a Status for £2500 at Pearce Cycles which is a mullet in either a 140/160.

I’ve had 4 over the years, from the Remedy 8 up to to the full carbon 9.8. I liked them a lot, and sometimes wish I still had one. They saw many different kinds of rides, from Ardrock to Malaga to a 50 mile XC ride. Great bike!

My son’s had a 9.something carbon framed job for the past 2 or 3 years – only just moved on to a bigger travel beast. The Remedy served him very well. The are (were?) the hire bikes at BPW, which is why we got one – cos he hired one and really liked it.
Not sure how much, but much cheaper than £2500 – will be selling the Remedy if you’re interested. Is a M/L size.

Oh, bad things… it’s a bit of an all-rounder, I guess. Pretty good at everything rather than brilliant at any one thing. Er, the Nocblock (sp?) is weird… but my lad now misses it on his new bike 🙂

Just sold mine after 4 years and loved my time with it. As others have said it’s an excellent all-rounder which never felt out of it’s depth including some fairly chunky Lakes/Scotland stuff. I only got rid because I fancied a change but wanted something in a similar vein (long travel playful trail bike not a point and shoot Enduro sled) in 29er guise.
Ended up with an Ibis Ripmo AF (SLX/DVO suspension), a few places have them on sale and for £2.5k it’s a ridiculous amount of bike for the money.

Weeksy

they’re an excellent Ford Focus type bike

sums it up.(if you mean basic model).. absolutely nothing wrong with them, well put together etc. just not inspiring.
Very middle of the road on everything… possibly the archetypal all-rounder.
They do come up very small though… (at least up to 22 models not tried the new one)
2 mates had them – one sold it the other still has it..

a Remedy 8 at £2,400 seems like a bargain….

totally agree, indeed any decent bike at £2400 seems a bargain but Trek are well put together so more so.

Not sure how much, but much cheaper than £2500 – will be selling the Remedy if you’re interested. Is a M/L size.

Whereabouts are you? ( I’m in manc)

A mate has recently bought a new one to replace the previous Remedy. He is very much into big days out and techy riding and he loves it.

1) it’ll be reet heavy for him to pedal up hills
2) it’s got silly little wheels and i prefer 29s so we can swap bits, and cos they’ll make gnar easier/ faster

If he’s into jumping then 27.5 may be better anyway, but the ability to swap things between bikes is a big one.

Solid bikes, suspension is setup very plush making them good for hitting stuff fast but mean you need to sit a spin on a climb and make use of the traction.

Do they still use Press fit bottom brackets?
Could be a negative to some?

Mate had a 2021 version, remember him having issues with the BB, but other than that like most have said, tis a solid bike.

Excellent info. Sounds like they’re the biz for jumps, tech and downhill. The only bit that concerns me is whether they’re still good for riding along and up?

We don’t do uplift that often and more XC than winch and plummet.

( by XC, I mean ride around, up, down along , not xc like people mean it these days)

I believe they pedal just fine – they’re an ideal long travel trail bike for the most part. I know a couple of people who’ve had them and they are a decent donut all sort of bike.

However, if you can get a Ripmo AF for similar money with similar spec I’d much rather have one of those.

I had one a few years ago (and then the 9.8) and enjoyed it. It didn’t do anything badly is probably the best thing to say about it. As mentioned above, the Specialized Status is a similar priced option. I have the Status 160 as my full suspension bike, and granted I did swap over quite a few parts to make it ‘mine’ but it feels both more fun and capable than the Remedy did. You just have to watch the sizing though. I’m riding the S3 / Medium at 6′ tall and it feels great. I’d normally ride a Large but due to the short rear end, the S3 feels more balanced.

If you do get a Status, protect the chainstay with some tape behind the chainring…they do seem prone to getting mullered there.

Sounds like they’re the biz for jumps, tech and downhill. The only bit that concerns me is whether they’re still good for riding along and up?

We don’t do uplift that often and more XC than winch and plummet.

They aren’t “the biz” for anything specific certainly not downhill… they are really the archetypal do-it-all and not particularly good or bad at anything. Only thing to note is the ridiculously short dropper insertion on last models (haven’t seen 2023).

They pedal fine … not like an XC but fine. They go DH fine, not like a Enduro but better than an XC.
If you had an option to hand you’d not use them for XC or uplift but they can do either.

by XC, I mean ride around, up, down along , not xc like people mean it these days

XC is a race format.. (well 2 now) and always has been.

The Remedy is a great bike for long days where you pedal and do some interesting descents.

Thinking of getting one for my 15 yo son. He likes jumping and going down easy things fast and tricky things not so fast.

So the real question might be is it going to make him enjoy the other parts?

Whereabouts are you? ( I’m in manc)

South coast. Looks like the Remedy will be hanging from my garage ceiling from now, so I will be keen to get shot. 😀

I believe they pedal just fine – they’re an ideal long travel trail bike for the most part. I know a couple of people who’ve had them and they are a decent donut all sort of bike.

Sounds oerfect

However, if you can get a Ripmo AF for similar money with similar spec I’d much rather have one of those.

Oh, tell me more. In what ways would you prefer a RipMo?

They aren’t “the biz” for anything specific certainly not downhill… they are really the archetypal do-it-all and not particularly good or bad at anything.

OK, I sit corrected. Still Sounds good

If you had an option to hand you’d not use them for XC or uplift but they can do either

What single bike would you use for both instead?

So the real question might be is it going to make him enjoy the other parts?

Agreed. That is exactly the question. Any answers welcome.

Status

Dunno. Not so keen after my Enduro ate 4 shocks in quick succession and Spec refused to admit there was a design flaw. (TBF they did give me all the shocks free, but…)

@thegeneralist

I’d have the ripmo as the geometry is more modern.

Take the seat tube vs reach length – comparing medium vs medium it looks like the ripmo is 380 st / 458mm reach. For me that sounds perfect as I can run a long dropper yet the reach is right where I want it.

In comparison the Remedy is 419mm st (with an awkward bend in it) vs 420mm reach. To get the reach where I want it I’d have to get a large remedy which is 470mm at / 455mm reach. Same annoying bend.

Then the Ripmo is a little bit more slack ha and a bit steeper st angle to add to the above.

Add in some of the remedys have a weird lower shock mount and proprietary shock as standard – some of which have had issues – it’s a no from me vs the Ripmo.

Ripmo is also very well reviewed for the most part and is full 29er – I personally wouldn’t be sinking money into a full 27.5” bike now. Looks like for the most part forks are going to be more available in 29er going forward as bikes go 29 / mullet.

What single bike would you use for both instead?

At the price the Remedy looks really good… I’d certainly have one if I had to stick to one FS bike for everything.
Don’t take it wrong just because it’s a jack of all trades doesn’t make it bad, it’s just a compromise, I’m just setting expectations. Any other “single bike” is going to have limitations and compromises.

You could compare it to tools, a good multitool is just never as good as dedicated tools… HOWEVER if all you have is a multitool in your pocket, car etc. its way better than tools at home.

I’d think of it as a really good multi-tool…

Agreed. That is exactly the question. Any answers welcome.

Million dollar Q … My lad (13) would rather lug a Enduro around (just in case) than compromise or go all in and ride my HT XC but that’s him. Even when we do a “leisure ride” he’ll want to stop somewhere and send something… and a pub meal or pizza is a bigger motivation than what bike.

Riding with your kids is the best thing in the world but… (sorry this probably isn’t the answer you’d like)

I know you’re into fitness and self competitive stuff from other threads but it sounds like he’d rather mess about and you’d perhaps get better response from you doing more of the riding he likes than trying to motivate him with a new bike???

Thanks Joe.
The other problem I have us whether to buy a medium or large. He’s currently 174cm and 15 years old. Right in the boundary between the sizes for most bikes. But the Remedy comes in a M/L option ( 18.5″as they call it in old money) which should be perfect.

If I was to go Ripmo,would I get the M for his current size, or get a L in the expectation he’ll grow a tad more. This becomes even more vexing given that i have found a Carbon Ripmo at Merlin for “only” 3,700. Huge discount. But dropping that on a medium seems barmy if he’ll grow out of it. But then getting a large is no good if he can’t ride it now…. and would just be misconstrued as me getting myself a gorgeous shiny new bike……

Don’t take it wrong just because it’s a jack of all trades doesn’t make it bad, it’s just a compromise,

Yep, makes total sense. I just wanted to check if you could think of a better “all rounder”. Which is a daft notion since any all rounder will be skewed to the person’s preference. For example my preference for him would be an Occam, as I am more of an XC kinda guy. But I know he isn’t and hence am thinking Remdy.

My lad (13) would rather lug a Enduro around (just in case) than compromise or go all in and ride my HT XC

Yep, agreed. I just didn’t want to get something that would see him knackered and left behind on family rides. But on further thought, that’s not going to happen as him and his mum are both growing older and hence he’s not the slowest uphill any more.

I know you’re into fitness and self competitive stuff from other threads but it sounds like he’d rather mess about and you’d perhaps get better response from you doing more of the riding he likes than trying to motivate him with a new bike???

Well said. ( though I’m not into fitness any more as I’m now decrepit but that’s another thread)
Yep, he prefers messing about, and I’m totally down with that. Since doing my Guide qualification I’m much more into ” less is more” ( distance and height gain) and doing what other people want to do rather than what I want them to do.
It’s a bit of a juggling act. For example the missus decreed Loughrigg Terrace last weekend, but I tried to keep it interesting for him by searching out as many fun slabs as possible.

The plan is definitely to do much more techy steep stuff with him as that’s what he likes. When we were scrambling in langdale last weekend we both spent the whole of the descent scoping out potential lines on the footpath fir an mtb descent. We agreed we need to come back with bikes. Just not his current Giant Anthem…. hence me looking for something more gnarr

The remedy m/l though only had a 444mm reach or something like that though – so he’s likely to grow out of that soonest anyway – and in the meantime it’s got a tall seat tube which limits dropper length.

So the medium ripmo is already bigger than the m/l Remedy in terms of reach – I think the headtube sizes are the same and they run the same travel front forks. Don’t go by seat tube height for size – long dropper posts mean you can get enough leg extension – you just need to be careful there’s enough stack at the front so you aren’t bum in the air / nose down like old xc bikes.

I’m 5’9 and ride a bike with a 450mm reach at the moment. Guess up to 5’10 or so is going to be fine on a ripmo af medium. Large after that. With a 15 year old it’s anyone’s guess what height they might end up.

Edit – looking at the Large Ripmo af it’s got a reach of 475mm. A lot of people my height would be running that instead of the medium anyway. But I’ve got long legs / short arms and torso so when I ran a bike with a reach of 481mm for 3 years I just felt the front got away from me a bit sometimes in fast / flat corners. I ride with a guy who is 5’7 and he was happy on the same 481mm reach and think his current bike is in the 470’s sort of range.

So a large might be ok now anyway depending on your lads proportions.

I agonized over medium or large when getting my Ripmo but am so glad I went for large (I’m 5ft 9″). The stand over is the same for both sizes and with a 35mm stem it feels perfect for me. One thing I would say is it feels a lot bigger a bike than the Remedy and it’s no lightweight (34.5 pounds on my bathroom scales).
Also my lad has been on a M/L Bird Aeris for 3 years now since he was 15 but he was the same height as me at that age. My Remedy was a M/L and it did sometimes feel short especially compared to the Bird, I personally wouldn’t buy a M/L Remedy if he’s that height at 15 and still growing.

Size wise – my son had his M/L while growing from about 5’8 to now just about 6ft. Never moaned about it feeling too big or small. (And he would’ve moaned!). I rode it a few times (just over 5’10) and the size felt great. Wasn’t really noticeable that it had 27.5 wheels either.

Right. We rode various remedies up and down a carpark today and weren’t impressed. He spotted a Slash 8 and had a spin on that and really liked it. It was acpretty pointless test ride and I reckon he just liked it cos the tyres were pumped up properly. Not quite true TBF… as many of you said the Remedy just felt really cramped.

So, he wants a Slash, but I’m keen to get a look at this Ripmo business since the cheap Remedy has berm discarded.

Nice at Merlin…. but presumably weighs a ton as Faz71 says
https://www.merlincycles.com/ibis-ripmo-af-dvo-air-slx-mountain-bike-2022-265115.html

At stevextc sort of said the kid is set on a BigF’ckOff bike, not something he can ride routes on. He wants 29″ wheels and as many travels as possible. 160mm or preferably 170mm up front.

And it’ll be size large.

So I’m busy looking for 29er BFO bikes…..
Tiso appears to have a Slash for £3k….

Slash is nice, but it’s also not light m, especially if it has Zebs on or something.

Tbh if you’re getting a 29er with big travel you don’t want it light, you want it strong.

That Ripmo linked has really good spec on it for the money with full SLX 12 speed including brakes and DVO suspension is generally decent. Only unknown for me are the wheels.

I’ve got a Transition Sentinel alloy which isn’t light but modern bikes generally pedal really well. When it had an air shock on it and standard rear travel / linkage it felt like a long travel trail bike. Now it has a coil and a cascade link it’s a monster downhill yet still pedals alright.

The DW link suspension on the Ripmo is meant to be pretty good – so say it has a lively feel for the amount of travel it has. I was considering a Ripmo AF or Transition Sentinel once I realised the inital bikes I was looking at were out of stock in budget (was looking at the Bird Aether 9 / Nukeproof Reactor / Norco Optic). I think the Sentinel is more slack / gnar – the Ripmo gives a tiny bit sway on the steepest stuff but is more trailsy on easier flow trails.

Slash is a monster – a mate had one and he decided it was too much ultimately. You could get away with outrageous lines on it though and it would save you from yourself 🤣

Looking at that £3k slash at Tiso it’s alloy so I doubt it’ll be lighter than a Ripmo. Also has a Yari which is ok – I think the Yari RC has the damper that sits between moco and a full charger – some kind of ifp thing sat in the right hand leg. GX Eagle also decent enough. I think the Bontrager Line comp wheels are ok – but they do dent if you’re a bit rough with them.

Finally managed to get a good ride out on familiar terrain today (Hamsterley) with the Ripmo and was blown away by how good it was. I had much more confidence chucking it downhill – it has a really rowdy nature that eggs you on faster.
It also climbs well. Lock it out and you can winch your way up a fire road as well as any other bike but technical climbing (which I really enjoy) is excellent, the rear tyre really feels like it’s getting sucked into the ground.
It may not be lightweight (no long travel bike at this price will be) but it certainly doesn’t feel it to ride.

Tried a couple of Slashes today in a carpark and he very much wants one. So going to see if I can find a cheap one. Not convinced it’s a sensible bike, but Steve says I need to buy what he wants, not what I want 😆

From what I can see the 2022 and 2023 models are the same geometry, just the 2023 has a Zeb instead of a Lyrik. Anyone correct me on those?

Not too bothered about the Zebs as he’s very skinny and won’t need huge stanchions…

XC is a race format.. (well 2 now) and always has been.

Nah, XC is just going for a pedal, largely without stopping. This year I’ve been for XC rides on my hardtail, 120, 150 and 170mm mullet bikes.
Actually, bike park laps aside (where the Slash would be killer for a light rider) , I think I’d call all of my rides XC here in Squamish.

I’m not sure that a 2-3lb penalty for a bit of extra travel is worth it, but that slash might be on the lower weight end of 170mm bikes though.
However you look at it, 170mm travel 29’er is a beast. so much straight line speed is available that my cornering ability couldn’t keep up and I actually got slower.

Nah, XC is just going for a pedal, largely without stopping.

I like that definition a lot. That’s what I was trying to say really.

If the lad wants a Slash and you can get one in budget it’s a very decent bike. Just a lot of bike.

The Ripmo is probably a bit more lively on less exciting trails – but if the lad is up for chucking himself down fast / rocky / steep tech then the Slash will have the edge on that stuff. Nicer to look at too – the ripmo af isn’t the prettiest bike going.

Sorry.. been busy

Right. We rode various remedies up and down a carpark today and weren’t impressed.

It was Weeksy said it was the Fiesta or something… it’s competent rather than inspiring** I think is fair and as mentioned above seattube…
** I love all my bikes for different reasons … from XC HT to steel HT to enduro but the Remedy I’d have to try very hard to love or feel excited to ride.

So I’m busy looking for 29er BFO bikes…..

At stevextc sort of said the kid is set on a BigF’ckOff bike, not something he can ride routes on. He wants 29″ wheels and as many travels as possible. 160mm or preferably 170mm up front.

And it’ll be size large.

If he’s happy with yellow then the last of the AM9’s are being sold off (L/XL only and only 1 yellow in L) at STUPID prices.(£2200). Large is large though probably 2 sizes up from Trek… (or I’d get one myself as I think my kid is stealing my Medium MK1.5 as he’s outgrown his frame)

Aeris AM9 – Clearance Sale!

or if he wants nearly DH travel and still pedal then the Sommets are very good VFM and a couple on 25% off (if CRC/Wiggle sort out their web 😉 ) again check reach as they come up long (by e-sommet is a medium and I find a YT in large a bit small)

I still think the Status is pretty damn good value… I’m fighting a battle to not buy a 140.

Bit of a tangent from your bike choice @thegeneralist, but did you ever mull over an ebike for the kid?

Wondering if it’s maybe not the atrocity it appears at first glance – it’s hard to plan good Peak routes for kids as I am sure you’re aware. Very low fun quotient until you’re strong enough to take all the hills in your stride, which takes time. It’s a hard thing to relate to, as no one on here learnt to ride on an ebike – I don’t know what it would mean for enjoying MTBing in the longer term.

My daughter has switched off MTBing – hates Peak hike a bike, but I can’t get her an ebike as she thinks they’re too cringe. So like you say it’s important to get the bike they want.