Touring - My New Trek 520

Plus a couple of extra essential parts changed out.

http://i484.photobucket.com/albums/rr207/etraderdude/Trek%20520/19062009846.jpg
http://i484.photobucket.com/albums/rr207/etraderdude/Trek%20520/19062009845.jpg
http://i484.photobucket.com/albums/rr207/etraderdude/Trek%20520/19062009848.jpg


Will be a commuting bike and weekend touring bike. Planning my first overnighter in a couple of weeks.
Cheers
SteveJ

Sweet bike. Now make it proud by riding it lots.

Just curious. Where do they make these now?

Looks a little darker than I remember when I saw it in store but it's still beautiful. Congrats.

Hmm looks darker in the shade, in the sun it's much more metallic and shows the colour more.

Very nice looking, but somehow a bit too clean and shiny for a touring bike... made to be ridden.

Just curious. Where do they make these now?

Not Wisconsin... :( Sweet bike regardless.

really nice bike. Love the color.

Enjoy,
Kfir

Not Wisconsin... :( Sweet bike regardless.

Ya. I knew that part. Was just wondering if China or other. OP, does the frame have "made in" sticker on it?

i read somewhere its made in taiwan. like a lot of carbon frames

Pretty!!!! Nice looking fenders, how much does the kickstand weigh?

Kickstand is just one of those display ones that lifts on and off, although i just did put a little stand on it today, i'm wondering why i never fitted one to any of my bikes sooner!

Yes yes it's clean, but not this morning, wet roads today and she's a bit grubbier now, although the guards work much better than the stock unit.
Thanks for the comments folks, i'll look for a "made in" sticker and report back.
Cheers
Steve

I have last year's black model and it still says "handbuilt in the USA".

I have last year's black model and it still says "handbuilt in the USA".

Last years is a different geometry tho. New ones are all Taiwan.

-R

One of the nicest looking 520's I've ever seen....enjoy...:love::thumb:

Have you tried out the rack on that with a lot of weight? It looks a little flimsy, but I could be wrong.

damn nice bike! i wish i had one...

Love the bike. Fenders look great on that bike. Fenders don't normally look good to me. The only nit I would pic is that seat bag.... Just ugly on that bike. The Super Blinky dangling off of it does not help. I know it's all about utility........ but it takes away from what I consider something that looks 10X better than a LHT..:innocent::innocent:

Thanks guys, i've got an ortlieb saddle bag on order, just changed out the trek rear rack for the Top Peak Super Tourist DX, it has the xtra rails out the back and lower mounting bars. I've also moved the blinky to the rear of the rack.
Front Tubus tara rack still on back order, which is a bugger cos i'm planning my first over nighter in 2 weekends time.

Where did you order your Tara from?

from wiggle, i'm in Australia.

oh, nevermind then.

I have last year's black model and it still says "handbuilt in the USA".

I'll have to look at mine again. I have a 2007, and I thought it said something like "designed" in Waterloo.

The black is kind of cool (it actually has flecks in it that show up in the sunlight, which I didn't realize at first) but I really like that new color. A friend of mine got one, so I got to see it in person.

Gorgeous bike, really sharp. Have fun!

I also have the bike. Congrats! What size sks fenders are you running? I installed the p45's and there was no room for the break aways to fit (those black plastic parts on both sides that allow the fender supports to break away if anything gets tangled in them). The p45's are supposedly suited for a 700 x 28-35 tire, but I just couldn't make it work with the geometry. I made some bends in the supports to make them work without the break aways, but I notice that you fit yours with the break aways. Did you cut the steel or are those a smaller size?

Yep i got the 45's as well and yes i did trim the steel support legs by about 1/2", although i reckon they're still too long.

class bike well done ,one thing if you ride in the rain cover that brooks with a plastic bag .your ass will thank you for it ,(hope that dosen't sound crude),brilliant saddle but it don't like getting wet honestly.have you tryed touring with just rear panniers,just curious.. look at some posts by nun on this forum ,he has lightweight touring down to a fine art. anyway stevej enjoy your new baby ,look after her ..

Thanks for the comments fellas.
:)

I just cancelled my wiggle order for the tara rack and chose the lifeline alloy front rack, 1/4 the price and i'm only hanging roller front bags off them for weekend tours, i'm sure it'll do fine. AND it's in stock so i will have it before 2 weeks time, which is when i'm planning my first solo overnighter.

If there are any Aussies on this board , particularly Queenslanders, i'm going from Ipswich to Goomburra which is over Cunninghams Gap, should be fun. 250km round trip so that is without a doubt my biggest back to back cycling ride.
Looking forward to the challenge of the ride, and the reward of the relaxed camping in the bush.
:)

SteveJ,

Have fun and enjoy your trip and the new ride. Sounds like a fun adventure.