Touring - Trek 520: All weather beast?

How many of you have ridden the Trek 520 throughout the year, all 12 months, regardless of conditions? How has it held up to the elements? It is a steel frame.

Cheers

My brother has ridden his Trek 520 for 8 years regardless of weather for everything from fun rides to errands to commuting to full tours... other than the occasional nick from use or component repairs and a bottle of nail polish to cover those nicks... flawless with no problems whatsoever.

Only thing he's invested in beyond the cycle itself is-

1. One wheelset for touring w/Phil hubs, Mavic rims & Conti TT's

2. One wheelset for winter riding with Shimano hubs, Mavic rins & Nokian Studded Tires

3. Original 520 wheelset for all other weather & riding (fun rides, errands & commuting outside of winter).

He's happy and we've estimated he has around 99-100K on the cycle.

It's been the perfect all year rider for me. Rode it through rain storms, snow storms, and sunny days. Luckily I've got a covered bike locker to park it at when I'm at work, so the rain doesn't corrode the steel.

Off-topic... but, nice blog Gonesh... just checked it out and enjoyed it. :)

In my case, the 520 is my touring and long-distance bike. In Winter, I don't use it during the worst conditions simply because I don't ride long distances (say above 10-20 km) when it's colder than -15 C or when there is a snow storm.

Even with that restriction, it is used 9-10 months per year rain or shine, sometimes in "civilised" mud (i.e. no single track as I live in a city). And it Winter, I use it if I visit far-away businesses or do a long ride. I don't do 50-60 km rides during a storm or when it's too cold, but give me a few warm days (-10 C) in January, especially 1-2 days after a snowstorm, when roads are still white with the fluffy stuff, and I will enjoy such a ride.
I have that bike since December 2000 and it looks great. Not perfect, but great. I have travelled 16000 km with it so far (most km with either cargo, trailercycle and child trailer), and casualties are:
- Brake pads. The original pads and replacement Shimano pads don't last more than 1 month (Winter) or 2-3 months (Summer). Kool-Stop Salmon pads last one year, even with lots of urban riding and even when fully loaded.
– Original 8-speed chain broke after 3 months; Upgraded to 9 speed at that time and kept original shifters in friction mode until I needed 8-speed shifters on my daughter's bike. The replacement chain has been there for 3 years and is still good.
- Rear wheel didn't remain true... until I retensioned it. That rim eventually tore apart and I replaced it last fall with a Mavic 719 rim.


The worst elements are faced by my commuter, a 1980 touring bike (also made of steel). I use it for work every day, plus short errands plus quite a few Winter rides... which means it sees quite a bit of road salt, snow... Quite often it melted 4-5 L of water at night.
The paint definitely has seen better days, and I have applied grease or nail polish or Tremclad on many paint chips. But there is no rust.


Both bikes have full fenders and long mudflaps, which help to keep them clean. Bottom bracket and headset are overhauled every 2 years and wheels are repacked each year.

I have used the same steel frame for commuting and fun riding for 7 years. It lived outdoors for 2 years in a coastal town, and got a lot of sea-spray. If you treat the frame inside and out, rust is not a problem. I used WD40 inside, and car-wax outside, but you can get bike-specific treatments.

Speaking of All weather riding.... Does anyone have suggestions for good fenders for my new 520? Is there a preferred brand? I've read bad things about Zefal, but I'm not sure what else is out there.

SKS Plastichrome fenders. Around $30. You can put up to 38mm tire with little problem.

Cheers