Touring - What Kind of bike do I need?

I want to do some brevets (probably the 300K to 400K Variety). Can I use my Trek 5200 with say a different seat and Aerobars, or should I go with a Trek 520?

Your 5200 should be just fine for a 300-400k run. I don't know if you should change the seat or not because I don't know how your butt feels. Not that I want to feel your butt :p

:eek: :eek: :eek:
My butt feels fine thanks.

I just don't know about the distance of 180 to 250 ish miles and how that would feel on my back, neck and butt. Does anyone do this kind of ride with a "Racing" bike?

I've ridden on SAG'ed trips from Fairbanks to Anchorage (~450 miles) on a Lemond Zurich with some aerodynamic panniers on the back with no problems at all. The Zurich is kind of a racing frame with no eyelets but I used the rear dropout and the brake arch to mount the rack I used.

You should be OK as long as your are comfortable on the bike, there's no reason you can't use a bike that is geared towards speed on a long tour, as long as you're comfy.

Jay

Get the 520, or a custom made Waterford http://www.waterfordbikes.com/data/index.php or one of these http://www.kirkframeworks.com/index.htm or all of them. You can never have too many.

Do you have a 520, or would you buy one specially for the rides.
The ideal bike for a light fast tour is a light, fast touring bike. the 520 is more of a loaded tourer and is over-built for brevet riding.

I get a deal on Trek Brands (Lemond, Fisher, Klein), is there one better suited?