diff --git a/build/build-image/Dockerfile b/build/build-image/Dockerfile
index d7cb832380..e37a241de8 100644
--- a/build/build-image/Dockerfile
+++ b/build/build-image/Dockerfile
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ FROM gcr.io/google_containers/kube-cross:KUBE_BUILD_IMAGE_CROSS_TAG
 RUN touch /kube-build-image
 
 # To run as non-root we sometimes need to rebuild go stdlib packages.
-RUN chmod -R a+rwx /usr/local/go/pkg ${K8S_EDGE_GOROOT}/pkg
+RUN chmod -R a+rwx /usr/local/go/pkg
 
 # For running integration tests /var/run/kubernetes is required
 # and should be writable by user
diff --git a/build/build-image/cross/Dockerfile b/build/build-image/cross/Dockerfile
index d1497eff1a..811ee9943e 100644
--- a/build/build-image/cross/Dockerfile
+++ b/build/build-image/cross/Dockerfile
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 # This file creates a standard build environment for building cross
 # platform go binary for the architecture kubernetes cares about.
 
-FROM golang:1.7.5
+FROM golang:1.8.1
 
 ENV GOARM 7
 ENV KUBE_DYNAMIC_CROSSPLATFORMS \
@@ -77,12 +77,3 @@ RUN export ETCD_VERSION=v3.0.17; \
   && cd /usr/local/src/etcd \
   && curl -fsSL https://github.com/coreos/etcd/releases/download/${ETCD_VERSION}/etcd-${ETCD_VERSION}-linux-amd64.tar.gz | tar -xz \
   && ln -s ../src/etcd/etcd-${ETCD_VERSION}-linux-amd64/etcd /usr/local/bin/
-
-# TODO: Remove the need for two golang versions; when we use go1.8 for all other builds we can remove this
-ENV K8S_GOLANG_EDGE_VERSION=1.8.1 \
-    K8S_EDGE_GOROOT=/usr/local/go_k8s_edge
-RUN mkdir -p ${K8S_EDGE_GOROOT} \
-  && curl -sSL https://golang.org/dl/go${K8S_GOLANG_EDGE_VERSION}.linux-amd64.tar.gz | tar -xz -C ${K8S_EDGE_GOROOT} --strip-components=1
-
-# Prebuild the standard library for those platforms that need the edge GOROOT
-RUN for platform in linux/arm linux/ppc64le; do GOOS=${platform%/*} GOARCH=${platform##*/} GOROOT=${K8S_EDGE_GOROOT} go install std; done
diff --git a/build/build-image/cross/VERSION b/build/build-image/cross/VERSION
index 47d2c2b6f2..ddd7b0809a 100644
--- a/build/build-image/cross/VERSION
+++ b/build/build-image/cross/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-v1.7.5-3
+v1.8.1-1
diff --git a/cluster/images/etcd-version-monitor/Makefile b/cluster/images/etcd-version-monitor/Makefile
index 5578e3d776..1149f4a0ae 100644
--- a/cluster/images/etcd-version-monitor/Makefile
+++ b/cluster/images/etcd-version-monitor/Makefile
@@ -15,10 +15,10 @@
 # Build the etcd-version-monitor image
 #
 # Usage:
-# 	[GOLANG_VERSION=1.7.5] [REGISTRY=gcr.io/google-containers] [TAG=test] make (build|push)
+# 	[GOLANG_VERSION=1.8.1] [REGISTRY=gcr.io/google-containers] [TAG=test] make (build|push)
 # TODO(shyamjvs): Support architectures other than amd64 if needed.
 ARCH:=amd64
-GOLANG_VERSION?=1.7.5
+GOLANG_VERSION?=1.8.1
 REGISTRY?=gcr.io/google-containers
 TAG?=0.1.0
 IMAGE:=$(REGISTRY)/etcd-version-monitor:$(TAG)
diff --git a/hack/lib/golang.sh b/hack/lib/golang.sh
index 67cb10e3fa..5b29df8121 100755
--- a/hack/lib/golang.sh
+++ b/hack/lib/golang.sh
@@ -274,8 +274,6 @@ kube::golang::set_platform_envs() {
       "linux/arm")
         export CGO_ENABLED=1
         export CC=arm-linux-gnueabihf-gcc
-        # Use a special edge version of golang since the stable golang version used for everything else doesn't work
-        export GOROOT=${K8S_EDGE_GOROOT}
         ;;
       "linux/arm64")
         export CGO_ENABLED=1
@@ -284,8 +282,6 @@ kube::golang::set_platform_envs() {
       "linux/ppc64le")
         export CGO_ENABLED=1
         export CC=powerpc64le-linux-gnu-gcc
-        # Use a special edge version of golang since the stable golang version used for everything else doesn't work
-        export GOROOT=${K8S_EDGE_GOROOT}
         ;;
       "linux/s390x")
         export CGO_ENABLED=1
@@ -487,13 +483,7 @@ kube::golang::build_binaries_for_platform() {
   local -a nonstatics=()
   local -a tests=()
 
-  # Temporary workaround while we have two GOROOT's (which we'll get rid of as soon as we upgrade to go1.8 for amd64 as well)
-  local GO=go
-  if [[ "${GOROOT}" == "${K8S_EDGE_GOROOT:-}" ]]; then
-    GO="${K8S_EDGE_GOROOT}/bin/go"
-  fi
-
-  V=2 kube::log::info "Env for ${platform}: GOOS=${GOOS-} GOARCH=${GOARCH-} GOROOT=${GOROOT-} CGO_ENABLED=${CGO_ENABLED-} CC=${CC-} GO=${GO}"
+  V=2 kube::log::info "Env for ${platform}: GOOS=${GOOS-} GOARCH=${GOARCH-} GOROOT=${GOROOT-} CGO_ENABLED=${CGO_ENABLED-} CC=${CC-}"
 
   for binary in "${binaries[@]}"; do
     if [[ "${binary}" =~ ".test"$ ]]; then
@@ -513,7 +503,7 @@ kube::golang::build_binaries_for_platform() {
     kube::log::progress "    "
     for binary in "${statics[@]:+${statics[@]}}"; do
       local outfile=$(kube::golang::output_filename_for_binary "${binary}" "${platform}")
-      CGO_ENABLED=0 "${GO}" build -o "${outfile}" \
+      CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -o "${outfile}" \
         "${goflags[@]:+${goflags[@]}}" \
         -gcflags "${gogcflags}" \
         -ldflags "${goldflags}" \
@@ -522,7 +512,7 @@ kube::golang::build_binaries_for_platform() {
     done
     for binary in "${nonstatics[@]:+${nonstatics[@]}}"; do
       local outfile=$(kube::golang::output_filename_for_binary "${binary}" "${platform}")
-      "${GO}" build -o "${outfile}" \
+      go build -o "${outfile}" \
         "${goflags[@]:+${goflags[@]}}" \
         -gcflags "${gogcflags}" \
         -ldflags "${goldflags}" \
@@ -533,13 +523,13 @@ kube::golang::build_binaries_for_platform() {
   else
     # Use go install.
     if [[ "${#nonstatics[@]}" != 0 ]]; then
-      "${GO}" install "${goflags[@]:+${goflags[@]}}" \
+      go install "${goflags[@]:+${goflags[@]}}" \
         -gcflags "${gogcflags}" \
         -ldflags "${goldflags}" \
         "${nonstatics[@]:+${nonstatics[@]}}"
     fi
     if [[ "${#statics[@]}" != 0 ]]; then
-      CGO_ENABLED=0 "${GO}" install -installsuffix cgo "${goflags[@]:+${goflags[@]}}" \
+      CGO_ENABLED=0 go install -installsuffix cgo "${goflags[@]:+${goflags[@]}}" \
         -gcflags "${gogcflags}" \
         -ldflags "${goldflags}" \
         "${statics[@]:+${statics[@]}}"
@@ -572,13 +562,13 @@ kube::golang::build_binaries_for_platform() {
     # doing a staleness check on k8s.io/kubernetes/test/e2e package always
     # returns true (always stale). And that's why we need to install the
     # test package.
-    "${GO}" install "${goflags[@]:+${goflags[@]}}" \
+    go install "${goflags[@]:+${goflags[@]}}" \
         -gcflags "${gogcflags}" \
         -ldflags "${goldflags}" \
         "${testpkg}"
 
     mkdir -p "$(dirname ${outfile})"
-    "${GO}" test -i -c \
+    go test -i -c \
       "${goflags[@]:+${goflags[@]}}" \
       -gcflags "${gogcflags}" \
       -ldflags "${goldflags}" \
diff --git a/test/images/serve_hostname/Makefile b/test/images/serve_hostname/Makefile
index e69d442cce..9cb104ec73 100644
--- a/test/images/serve_hostname/Makefile
+++ b/test/images/serve_hostname/Makefile
@@ -15,11 +15,11 @@
 # Cross-build the serve_hostname image
 #
 # Usage:
-#       [TAG=v1.6] [PREFIX=gcr.io/google_containers] [TEST_REGISTRY=gcr.io/k8s-authenticated-test] [ARCH=amd64] [BASEIMAGE=busybox] make all
+#       [TAG=v1.7] [PREFIX=gcr.io/google_containers] [TEST_REGISTRY=gcr.io/k8s-authenticated-test] [ARCH=amd64] [BASEIMAGE=busybox] make all
 
 .PHONY: all push container clean
 
-TAG ?= v1.6
+TAG ?= v1.7
 
 REGISTRY ?= gcr.io/google-containers
 TEST_REGISTRY ?= gcr.io/k8s-authenticated-test
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ ALL_ARCH = amd64 arm arm64 ppc64le s390x
 
 GOARM=7
 TEMP_DIR := $(shell mktemp -d)
-GOLANG_VERSION=1.7.5
+GOLANG_VERSION=1.8.1
 
 BIN = serve_hostname
 SRCS = serve_hostname.go