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2012 trek slash 9 vs 2012 remedy 9.8 or 9

28K views 36 replies 19 participants last post by  Demorider 
#1 ·
Thought I would get peoples opinions on which bike to get this fall. I am looking at mainly trek bikes as I love my LBS, and I have narrowed it down to the slash and the remedy. I like to do some downhill, with nothing too extreme. But I'd also like to be able to pedal comfortable out of my local DH trail. I like the idea of the remedy, but I was wondering if it was enough. I do 3 footish drops and small to medium jumps to flat. I'm 200lbs so definitely not light.

I was looking at the remedy 9.8 but I am still nervous about the durability of carbon. For that reason I am also considering the remedy 9 and then adding the reverb post. Another thing weighing in on my decision is that the remedys come in on oct 10th and the slash would not be until Dec 20th.

So fellow mountain bikers, what do you think would be best for me, and what would YOU buy?
 
#2 ·
I would buy a Remedy; I have one now. My personal opinion is that 32 talas 150 is as much as you REALLY need unless you want to do all DH. The new DRCV fork will be great for the Remedy if it performs as well as the shock. The new Remedy is so polished at 100 grams lighter, slacker HA, internal routed cables and the DRCV fork. I rode a 2011 Fuel EX 9.7 for 8 months on all kinds of terrain in the SW and it works good with only 120mm. I wanted a Remedy before I bought the Fuel, but didn't want to spend an extra $1000 for a carbon model, so I went with the lowest carbon on the Fuel. I rode a Remedy 9.9 at a demo weekend in my area and couldn't get the plushness and great feeling out of my head. 8 months after I bought my fuel, I was buying a 2010 Remedy 9.9. The best decision I've made yet with the sport since I bought my first Trek mt. bike in 1994. I ride mine all over and will ride it on a few trails that are considered DH at South Mt. until my Session shows up in Nov.

The Remedy is a proven bike. You can do everything on it that you can with a Fuel EX and 3 foot drops and going down hill are not going to be a problem either. BUY THE CARBON! People obviously don't understand how strong this material is when done properly. Trek has spent gillions on developing their carbon since way back when. IT'S PROVEN. They put the stuff through impact tests that I know you will never put the same impact on your frame unless you ride off a cliff on top of a mountain and fall hundreds of feet to big jagged rocks. Google Treks carbon impact tests. If you don't buy carbon now, your going to want it later and then you have to buy another bike later; Not necessarily a bad thing, but it is if your not happy with aluminum anymore.

The slash is unproven. Good looking bike and good geometry, but that bike is more of a gravity bike that you might be able to pedal better up a hill than a session. They didn't produce a carbon model this year... It's not a proven platform yet. The scratch wasn't a big seller either. If you want an aluminum mostly gravity bike, you'd be better off looking for a great deal on a '11 Scratch.

IMHO :thumbsup:

MTBP
 
#3 ·
I think the Remedy would be the better fit for the riding you describe, Slash is more focused on DH, I have a Remedy and it's never held me back on the odd bits of DH I do, I am hoping to get a Slash but only because I plan on doing some Alps riding next year which I think the bike would be perfect for.
 
#7 ·
You're 200 lbs and doing drops to flat. I'd be debating between a Scratch and Slash if I were you. Seriously. At your size (or mine @ 185lbs) and doing aggressive riding you'll push 32mm/15mm fork to the point where a Lyrik or 36 will feel more stable.

But more info might help. Where are you located, what kind of trails do you ride, do you pound out big xc epics, by downhill do you mean stuff like Whistler, do you buy a new bike every 2 years? Lots of variables. But you're still doing drops to flat at 200 lbs, so get a burly bike.

For reference, I'm on 2007 Remedy with a 160mm Lyrik - back when it was a bit burlier. I sure wouldn't mind a few more grams of metal on the frame. I do big xc rides on this bike, as well as fast technical descents and a wee bit of jumping, and have never once wished it was lighter.
 
#9 ·
You're 200 lbs and doing drops to flat. I'd be debating between a Scratch and Slash if I were you. Seriously. At your size (or mine @ 185lbs) and doing aggressive riding you'll push 32mm/15mm fork to the point where a Lyrik or 36 will feel more stable.

But more info might help. Where are you located, what kind of trails do you ride, do you pound out big xc epics, by downhill do you mean stuff like Whistler, do you buy a new bike every 2 years? Lots of variables. But you're still doing drops to flat at 200 lbs, so get a burly bike.

For reference, I'm on 2007 Remedy with a 160mm Lyrik - back when it was a bit burlier. I sure wouldn't mind a few more grams of metal on the frame. I do big xc rides on this bike, as well as fast technical descents and a wee bit of jumping, and have never once wished it was lighter.
Thanks everyone for all the info!

I'm in norcal, riding places like soquel demonstration forest. I haven't been, but would like to go to downieville, but I realize the remedy and even the slash would be out of place there. I am doing I would say half XC rides half downhill as I'm trying to lose some of this 200lbs :thumbsup:

Right now I just have a hardtail, and I would like to keep adding to that bike as well. So I don't necessarily care if whatever dual sus bike I get can't keep up on the more mellow trails, as I'll be using the hardtail for that. The main bad thing about the slash is the wait. I'm getting impatient! :D I just broke my arm too, so it will be a few months before I can even use either bike to its full potential.
 
#14 ·
Thinking about this some more, I tend to agree with Juice. If you are doing actual 3 ft drops (not measured in mtbr feet, but waist high) and riding DH trails (as in guys shuttling on 40lb bikes) you should look at the slash. And trust me, when you buy a bigger bike you're going to want to start trying bigger stuff.
Ross Schnell ran a Remedy with a Rockshox Lyric up front at Downieville, and he's lighter than you. There was a recent thread in the AM forum about 32mm for 36mm stanchion forks with a definite consensus among 200+ pound guys who had tried both, that the 36mm forks were more stable and confidence inspiring.
 
#15 ·
I have ridden both and I currently have 2011 Trek Remedy 9.7 that has been significantly upgraded. The Slash was great at Winter Park and if I rode Winter Park everyday I would have a Slash but damn is the Remedy hard to beat for 90% of the riding I do. For DH it works on the Green, Blue And Blue/Black runs but it doesn't work for true DHing and for XC racing it real tough to race on it. (Although I kicked ass on a Super D on it this year and raced a XC race on it and had alot fun)

Erik
 
#16 ·
I know this isn't trek, but what do you guys think then about a specialized enduro evo? I could get a 2011 new for like $1k off the sticker price at another local store. This has the 170mm shock up front and a coil in back, but it is like 34 lbs :eek:

The thing about the slash is the wait. I'll be missing a few months of riding, and with my arm tweaked, riding on a hardtail is super tough with all the small bumps and jolts going right through my elbow lol. So I was hoping I could get something within a month or 2.

Otherwise there is a 2010 scratch 9 at a store that I could get for $3k. I heard though that the scratches just weren't up to snuff in terms of pedaling out.

And yep, i'm doing true 3 foot drops, that's how I broke my arm lol.
 
#19 ·
I know this isn't trek, but what do you guys think then about a specialized enduro evo? I could get a 2011 new for like $1k off the sticker price at another local store. This has the 170mm shock up front and a coil in back, but it is like 34 lbs :eek:
That would be a no brainer for me. Last years bike for $1k off and have a bike to ride in the fall, versus pay full retail and maybe have a bike before winter. I'll take last years bike thanks.
The thing with the Scratch is it has a really short top tube. The largest size Scratch has the same ETT length as a medium size Enduro.
 
#17 ·
An update!

I called a more corporate Trek dealer, and they promised they could get me a Slash by mid-October. I feel bad going through them instead of my small LBS, so I'll give the LBS one last chance to try and talk with their rep to get me one sooner.

At this point after talking to some more friends and seeing what you guys are saying, I agree that a beefier bike might be better. I'll plan on the slash 9 for now. Plus, I think it's the best looking out of all of them!
 
#18 ·
I have a 2011 9.7 ,it is upgraded to full XO 2 x 10. I am 220 in riding gear with a full water bladder, I live in PA so I ride alot of steep,rocky technical trail, as well as some fast flowy trail. I am utterly amazed at how well this bike does everything,it still blows me away every time I take it out. I demoed a rumble fish,fuel ex,niner rip9. I could tell right awat just riding it in the parking lot, this bike rocks,tight,fast,steep,smooth ,it does all better than any other bike I have owned or ridden
 
#21 ·
I had the same question, which one to buy Remedy vs Slash after demoeing both this weekend at Duthie Hill here in WA.

I am coming from aggressive trail or all mtn riding, but enjoy freeride when the opportunity of terrain and trail build is available.

The demo was not a completely fair comparison since the Slash was one size smaller than I would ride. In limited time, I also stayed on one xc trail and one small jump trail. That in mind, the Remedy 9.9 won easily. Noticeably lighter (carbon vs aluminum), pedalable, more playful and sucked up the small jumps/drops I tested it on...as it was designed for.

That being said, I am still considering the Slash. I want to demo the correct size and I want to see how it handles the bigger stuff. I have the impression the Slash will be more durable as I progress my freeriding, but I still pedal more than pure freeride.

So I am coming back with more questions than answers.

What is the freeride limit of the Remedy?
How pedalable is the Slash?

(my stats: 6'3" 185lbs. Riding a '06 Heckler as my everyday ride)
 
#25 ·
The Remedy was intuitive to ride coming from the Heckler. The Remedy that I demoed was lighter and had a slacker head tube angle, but still felt familiar.

The Slash was again not a true comparison because of a smaller size, I didn't have the seat set at the right height and I didn't switch out the pedals - just trying to get in a quick demo before they closed. All of that said, it still handled well, but was heavier and I felt slower. But you would expect that especially after coming off a 25lb bike.

If the Slash really weighs in at 30lbs as someone else posted, then that is a lot of bike for around the same weight as my heckler!

I went to the same trails today and rode my Stinky with a triple crown. Man that was
heavy pedaling up, but I still put in 2 hrs with short loops throughout. If I were to jump on a Slash now, it would probably feel light and nimble.

A little off the subject, I saw a few Transition Bottlerockets out there today. They seem to
fit in my general category as well, free ride and pedalable. Anyone else compared these?
 
#26 ·
I ordered a slash 8 today. It still comes with a dropper post and talas fork, just no kashima coating. It comes out late oct vs december though, which is what I was looking for. Plus I like how it looks more:) I'm hoping the weight isn't too bad, maybe 31.5 vs 30 for the 9.

I demo'ed a pivot 5.7 over the weekend and it seems like it would be close to the remedy in handling. It was fun to ride and felt better than my hard tail even on the climbs, but going down I felt like it just wasn't enough. That was enough to help me decide on the slash.

I also went and test rode a specialized endure eve. Man that thing felt heavy! Way too much suspension and weight for me.
 
#32 ·
Well I rode a santa cruz carbon nomad over the weekend, and ended up switching my order to the remedy 9. I've given a lot of thought to the carbon frame on the 9.8, and I think I crash too often to go with it on my first (big) bike purchase. When I rode the nomad, it felt like too much bike for me, and I hated the uphills on it. I know the nomad isn't a apples to apples comparison to the slash, but it is probably lighter, and it just felt too heavy on the uphills for me. That being said, the 36 forks felt very stable, and I really liked that about the bike. Does anyone know if it is possible for me to drop a 36 fork on the remedy if I feel the 32 isn't cutting it?
 
#33 ·
Sure you can, just make sure you get the E2 tapered version. You'll love the 9, its a great riding bike. I'll tell you one thing though, it's a MUCH better bike with a shorter stem and wider/taller bars!
 
#35 ·
Im in the same boat, I ride mostly downhill these days but I have a full on DH bike for that. For setting out on an all day epic I would like to have the weight of the Remedy, but I have not riden a bike with less than 170 up front for a while. I think the ultimate solution is a carbon slash at around the 27 lbs mark. But that wont happen this year or ever for that matter..... I could get a remedy and throw a 180mm fox fork on her and a slash linkage and rear shock and that would be a beast of a bike.
 
#37 ·
Locura Marzo were you able to get demo's on both bikes? If so what was your experience with them?

Demorider how do you like the remedy?

Anyone else have experience riding both bikes to be able to compare?
So I actually ended up going with a 2011 specialized stump jumper expert evo because I got a ridiculous deal on it. I love it and have been riding it for a few months including a trip to oregon. That being said I feel like the remedy I demo'ed climbed better. If I had to do it all over again I would probably go with the remedy 9, i just couldn't pass up the evo for much less money. The one complaint is the 32 fork. It just doesn't feel as stable when I really push it on the downhills, but I'm 210 lbs. I eventually plan on putting a 36 fork on this and getting a smaller travel bike for XC riding.
 
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