The Trek Remedy

The Trek Remedy 9 and 8 at around the £2600 and £2300 respectively caught my eye and for good reason. These All Mountain rigs with 6 inches of travel are for experienced riders who want to experience longer technical descents with higher speeds taking in 3-5 foot drops on the way and still keep in the saddle all day.

Personally this would probably be a bit closer to my (aspirational) riding style these days than the dreams and fantasy's I have of the Sessions. This performance bike for 2009 has an adjustable front travel to travel for all styles and terrains making use of the E2 system, wider bars (690 -710 mm wide) and better Bontranger XDX 2.4" tyres Thankfully pay day was no where close so I left not as poor as my heart wanted me to be.

Full range as follows:

• Remedy 9
• Remedy 8
• Remedy 7

Remedy 9

Highlights: ABP, Full Floater, E2.

Frame: Alpha Red Aluminum
Front Suspension: Fox 36 Talas, 120-160mm
Rear Suspension: Fox RP23 XV Air Can; 8.0x2.25"
Wheels: Bontrager Rhythm Pro wheel system w/Scandium rims, 28mm, tubeless ready

OK lets review the core highlights.....

ABP

So starting with ABP. Get your head around this one if none else! Why? Well two reasons 1) It is featured in all Trek's full suspension bikes so top riding technology is a core feature across the range not just the exclusivity of a few and 2) It is often spoken of as the most impressive and advanced piece of mtb technology in the last few years. First to explain it simply and how I understand it. Basically when you brake your suspension behaves and you keep in control of your bike making corners or stutter bumps that much easier and more keeps you in control when you do.You can brake later and stay in control. In tech talk. ABP's (Active Braking Pivot) unique placement in line with the reae wheel axle creats the least caliper movement of any system, yielding the most active suspension under braking.

Full Floater+ Custom Tuned Shock

Full floater in simple terms means you use the entire shock stoke and so absorbs the smallest bumps, makes for easier climbing and makes the the bike feel like it has more travel. In tech talk it means you have a rear shock with a moderate progressive (or rising) rate up to the mid-stroke and a slight falling rate in the last 1/3 of travel.

E2

E2 refers to the head tube and steerer tube system i.e. the stem, headset, fork and frame. The fork of the bike is like a lever. Trail obstacles seek to push and twist that lever far away from where it attaches to the bike creating flex in the bike and less control. E2 puts more material at the lower parts of the system to create more less flexibility, resulting in more control and so a better ride. All good things. Tech wise this means that the tapered frame technology is lighter and stiffer than a conventional 11/8" set up. Using E2 they have shaved off 12oz from th ebike weight and increased stiffness by 17%