Touring - Trek 520 - First Ride Impressions

I rode my Trek 520 for the first time yesterday, doing 50 miles with about 2,000 vertical feet of climbing. I was blown away by it's performance. I was using sneakers and the platform pedals bc I didn't have my speedplays yet and I was able to keep pace and even push ahead of my fellow club riders. I was doing 24mph up inclines and 25+ on flats. Unreal. What a dream this bike is. I can't wait to load it up to tour. The classic lines of the 2007 black model is beautiful.

Yeah, I'm surprised they are not raced in Tour de France!

Wow, that's quite the bike. Makes you wonder why they don't just use touring bikes in the major racing tours. I'm sure the 520 is a nice bike to ride, but any road bike "performs" pretty much like any other, given the same weight and the rider fitted the same way on it.

What kind of speedometer are you using?

Admit it. Your are in the Blaze of Glory Period. :D

My 520 is quite fast unloaded and used as a very fine club rider. But, either one of my road bikes will tire me less because they are lighter, and have that advantage past the 60 mile mark. The Sequioa Elite is decadently comfortable on centuries. So is the Trek, but five pounds at 6 hours in the saddle can make a difference

Glad to hear this review, which echoes what I keep telling many of my fellow local riders. The 520 is a great all-rounder and is a fairly quick bike.

I'm gonig to ride the local MS150 in a few weeks with the 520 for the first time (have ridden the past 5 years on either a hybrid or a Trek 1000), and I'm excited about it. I'm tempted to put 25c tires on it instead of the stock 32's, just to stay with my usual paceline group. I already own the 25c tires from a spring sale at Performance. But I'm also thinking it would be fun to ride toward the back of the pack (1000+ riders) with the newbies and the others who prefer to take it slower.

Or I might just go out fast on Saturday, swap tires and go slow on Sunday. It's great to have options.

Congrats and enjoy your new steed!

Ken

I have 28mm Armadillos on mine. Not the fastest tire around. Before that I used the stock Bontrager Race Lites it came with when I bought it used. They were also 28's. You'll like the 25's for speed. Pump 'em full.

Sorry guys - I wasn't trying to brag, I was just trying to make the point that I was blown away by how good the unloaded performance of the Trek 520 is. I only hit 25 on the flats a few times - low 20s is probably a more reasonable description of our speed on the flats - besides, speed is a relative thing but I was able to keep up with all my club riders using this baby and not even clipped in - I was expecting for them to be waiting for me a bunch and there was no need. Looking forward to taking it to italy.

Jeff

yes, the Trek 520 is a very capable bike.

with the standard road triple in front and 11-32 in the back, high gear inches are possible. and the big tires increase the gear inches even more.

they are great all-arounders. a big plus about a weightier bicycle and bigger tires- they stick to the corners on the downhills! I feel more secure going 50 MPH downhills on my 520 and 700x32s than my light road bike with 700x23s.

I agree with Beko about the high speed turns on a 520. Very stable machine, especially with a tub-o-goo like me aboard at 240lbs. I can lay it down and it really stays in there. A very fast, fun bike when unloaded.