Imagine working with the coolest bikes day in, day out. You’d have your eye on something special, right? Well, that’s the case with our workshop mechanic Mike Nilsen, who has just treated himself to a very nice machine indeed, with a couple of custom touches thrown in. In our latest New Bike Day blog, Mike tells us all about it.
What’s your new bike, Mike?
It’s a Trek Remedy 9.8.
Tell us the specs
It’s all carbon – Trek OCLV carbon frame, Bontrager Line Elite 30 wheels and Bontrager Line Pro handlebars. That’s matched with Fox suspension in a set of 38 front forks and a DPX2 rear shock, which makes for an amazing feeling bike. The carbon makes the bike lighter and stronger than its aluminium counterparts.
I’m upgrading the Sram Code brakes to Hope E4s. Both the Sram Codes and Hope E4s are a four-piston caliper brake, giving a bigger surface area to touch against the disc for more responsive and powerful braking. The Sram are great but I just prefer the feel and adjustability of the Hopes. The drive train is a Sram GX group set, which has a 10-52 tooth cassette and is matched with a 30-tooth front chainring. The chainring is a little small for what I want, so I’m changing it to a 32-tooth chainring for the extra speed I can get.
The wheels are 27.5 inches wrapped in Bontrager’s SE4 and SE5 tyres. I’ve not ridden Bontrager tyres before so I’m going to give them a go as I’ve heard good things. Some of the lads in the shop ride 29-inch wheels which they say is faster, but I like the smaller wheels because I think it’s nippier and it makes a much more agile bike. Compared to the Trek Slash, for example, it’s a little smaller and I would say it’s more playful, and that’s why I chose the Remedy over any other Trek bike.
The seat post is a Bontrager Line Elite dropper post, with 150mm of drop so you can flick a switch on the handlebars for it to drop and rise. When you’re climbing you want it high, but as you start going downhill you drop it. It’s great for downhill – really steep stuff – and off-camber. It’s much easier to move the bike around under you if you don’t have the seat smacking into you. This makes the bike awesome for jumping; due to the way it’s designed, it flies just as well as it rolls.
It’s also got custom decals. The frame is a dark green colour but the forks and rear shock now have orange stickers on instead of the stock black ones. The bright colour makes the bike really pop.`
What style of ride is it?
The Remedy is an enduro-style bike with its 160mm and 150mm of travel. I’ve only ridden it around Dalby Forest since getting the bike but it’s destined for more once we can travel again. I’m looking forward to sending it off jumps and drops where it will really be at home. I have a hardtail which is great for Dalby and the local Moors riding I do, but the Remedy is really for the big days out.
What do you think of it so far?
It’s early days but it’s very nice. Going from hardtail to full suss it rides differently but it’s really nice. It just got a nice feel to it. It’s comfortable. It just seems to ride how I want it to which makes it predictable. I can’t put my finger on exactly what that is, but I think that reflects the quality of bike. The design of the frame matched with the components makes for a ride that is better than any other bike I have ridden in the past.
Fancy your own Trek Remedy 9.8? Visit us at Big Bear Bikes in Pickering.
The incredible Trek Remedy is available on special order in a range of specifications:
Trek Remedy 7 - £2,550
Trek Remedy 8 - £3,200
Trek Remedy 9.8 - £5,500
Speak to the friendly team at Big Bear Bikes to discuss which specification is right for you.
