Touring - Age of Trek 520

Can you tell the age of a Trek 520 by its color? I am looking at buying a red one, but the current model according to the Trek web site is black.
Thanks in advance Geoff

I'm pretty sure you can. The guy I bought my 520 from said they used one color per year. Mine is a dark metallic blue - a '98. A bud has a deep maroon type, I think it's a 2002, could be wrong.

Check this link out.
http://www.vintage-trek.com/model_numbers1.htm
It looks like it's probably an '05? Although I have no idea what "Beaujolais" is, in wikipedia it talks about wine and the like, which sounds like a red colour. Good luck!

05 is correct. You can also tell by what generation LX rear derailleur is on the bike. If it looks like this http://www.bikeparts.com/pimage/BPC324030.jpg it's probably an 05. If it looks like this http://www.bikepro.com/products/rear_derailleurs/gifs/lx_rear.gif then its definitely a few years older. However, the 05 520 says "Touring" on the top tube as where the 07 just says Trek 520 without the "touring" after it.

This is the new LX on the '07 520s http://www.pricepoint.com/images/styleImages/Z_104%20SHI817.jpg

Check this link out.
http://www.vintage-trek.com/model_numbers1.htm
It looks like it's probably an '05? Although I have no idea what "Beaujolais" is, in wikipedia it talks about wine and the like, which sounds like a red colour. Good luck!
Yep its a wine ;) You say it bu j'u le .

Hi jcm, ultimatekiwi, kipibenkipod, thanks for your quick responses. Your info has definitely confirmed that the 520 is a 05 model for me. Kipibenkipod, the LX derailleur is definitely the one in the first photo, and ultimatekiwi the color is exactly the same as what my cream color carpet looks like after a glass of red has been spilt on it. So definitely Beaujolais or burgundy, or just plain red.
Thanks guys.
PS the bike is destined for a two week trip in New Zealand later this year and is a replacement for a (much loved) Shogun Alpine GT, which some frenchman relieved me of at the end of a ride thru Switzerland in 2005.
Cheers

Hi jcm, ultimatekiwi, kipibenkipod, thanks for your quick responses. Your info has definitely confirmed that the 520 is a 05 model for me. Kipibenkipod, the LX derailleur is definitely the one in the first photo, and ultimatekiwi the color is exactly the same as what my cream color carpet looks like after a glass of red has been spilt on it. So definitely Beaujolais or burgundy, or just plain red.
Thanks guys.
PS the bike is destined for a two week trip in New Zealand later this year and is a replacement for a (much loved) Shogun Alpine GT, which some frenchman relieved me of at the end of a ride thru Switzerland in 2005.
Cheers


You're going to New Zealand?! Awesome! I also am heading off to New Zealand for some touring. I leave on the 24th of August, and I will be there for 9 months (touring mixed with a healthy dose of manual labour to fund it all). Just wondering... it wouldn't happen to be a 54cm Trek 520, would it? I hope you have a lot of fun (and well, I hope I do as well), and good luck!
-Ben

Yep, Ultimatekiwi - around November. Most likely limit the trip to the North Island because of time constraints. And, yes, the 520 is 54cm, red (beaujolais), 2005 version. Its new, in Melbourne. Do you know the bike?