Touring - My Trek 620 build: Getting ready for the long haul

I've put this bike together over the past year, with the goal of riding a year-long US tour on it. Now there are two months left before my girlfriend and I set off on our adventure, so I figured I'd post a picture both for feedback and reference, as I'll probably be talking about it off and on over the next twelve months.

http://static.flickr.com/37/102210570_16b460c7bf.jpg (http://static.flickr.com/37/102210570_16b460c7bf_b.jpg)

You can tell that I'm a big guy from the size of the frame. It's from the mid 80's, bought off eBay. I've done 4 weekend trips on this bike over past summer, trying to dial everything in to a point where I can rely on it. The parts are nothing fancy, although I tried to pick reliable equipment that wouldn't require constant service.

I've put this bike together over the past year, with the goal of riding a year-long US tour on it. Now there are two months left before my girlfriend and I set off on our adventure, so I figured I'd post a picture both for feedback and reference, as I'll probably be talking about it off and on over the next twelve months.

http://static.flickr.com/37/102210570_16b460c7bf.jpg (http://static.flickr.com/37/102210570_16b460c7bf_b.jpg)

You can tell that I'm a big guy from the size of the frame. It's from the mid 80's, bought off eBay. I've done 4 weekend trips on this bike over past summer, trying to dial everything in to a point where I can rely on it. The parts are nothing fancy, although I tried to pick reliable equipment that wouldn't require constant service.

Nice! That looks even bigger than my 24" 620.

Mine has been "reimagined" a bit. Pics coming soon.

That looks great and every bit as good if not better than a newer 520 frame. Bars even w/ the saddle and nice platform for the hands on the hoods. W/out seeing you on it, it looks comfortable. You dn't need fancy parts and in a lot of ways, less fancy is more durable.

I am also a big guy, about 225lbs, so curious how the cantis stopped you loaded down on a steep decent. They didn't work for me so I switched to v-brakes.

Minor point is that it looks like your tubing diameter for front and rear racks is different. It's nice to be able to use the small bags on both front and rear if, for instance, you are dumping your stuff and going exploring. If you have Ortlieb, for instance, it's not an issue, since they have spacers to accomdate most tubing sizes.

Just ran across this post. What great looking bike! Saving it to hard drive.

That looks great and every bit as good if not better than a newer 520 frame. Bars even w/ the saddle and nice platform for the hands on the hoods. W/out seeing you on it, it looks comfortable. You dn't need fancy parts and in a lot of ways, less fancy is more durable.

I am also a big guy, about 225lbs, so curious how the cantis stopped you loaded down on a steep decent. They didn't work for me so I switched to v-brakes.

Minor point is that it looks like your tubing diameter for front and rear racks is different. It's nice to be able to use the small bags on both front and rear if, for instance, you are dumping your stuff and going exploring. If you have Ortlieb, for instance, it's not an issue, since they have spacers to accomdate most tubing sizes.

I haven't had the chance to test the brakes on a steep decent- there aren't any around the Chicago area. They seem to work well when the bike is loaded, so hopefully I won't have any problems. Do you use road levers with your V brakes? If so, do you use a travel agent or similar device? As for the rack, my Jandd and Ortlieb bags both fit interchangeably- thanks for mentioning that though, that's the first time I've thought about it as a potential problem.

I use the Dia Compe road levers which are specific to V-Brakes. Only choice out there but I find them to be comfortable. You might not have any problems w/ them since a lot of people like cantis.

Again, that's a beatiful bike. Hope you are never tempted to sell it but if you are, let me know. I am in the market for a new touring bike and would love to come across a bike like that.

PS You might want to treat the inside w/ Framesaver or equivalent. Did you notice rust when the bottom bracket was removed?