Experience with Cannondale T2000 vs. Trek 520?
 

Anyone have any experience with the Cannondale T2000? I have a Trek 520 and a Cannondale Cyclocross. The geometry on the Cannondale is so comfortable, while the Trek 520 geo is closer to a road bike--top bar is more horizontal. Other noticeable factors are: Steel vs. aluminum; smooth ride; weight, etc. A new T2000 is about $500 more than the Trek, but what other things have you experienced with these two bikes?

Cheers

Ive been riding a Cdale t2000 now for about a thousand miles or so, havent really noticed anything negative about it at all. It is a very comfortable ride. As far as the Steel vs Aluminum debate, ive only ever ridden aluminum bikes and have never encountered any problems whatsoever. Probably the only things that "bugs" me about the newer t2000s is that Cannondale is constantly pushing the limits on their aluminum frames by making them thinner and thinner using different aluminum alloys....not sure thats a good thing for a touring bike....just my opinion. Ill keep a close eye on it and post anything i see on here...cheers

I've only demo'd a Trek 520 and T2000, so here'e my 1-cent worth: For loaded touring bikes, I'd probably go with the 520. As you mentioned it's considerably less expensive than the Cannondale, and probably more reliable because it has bar end shifters. Also, for longer rides you'd probably want a chromo frame, but I don't think that's crucial. Since you already have a 520, why would you want another touring bike?

I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes cross bikes more than tourers. I have a Trek XO-1 cross bike, and for general riding I think it's more comfortable and efficient than the 520. When I demo'd the 520, it didn't feel very stable at higher speeds. The geometry of touring bikes is designed for stability at low to mid speeds, while cross bikes are designed to be more zippy. With weight on the fork, I'm sure the 520 (and other touring bikes) are fine, so it depends on what you're using it for. The T2000 is noticeably quicker than the 520, but still a little sluggish compared to cross bikes.

I rode my T2000 last year from Ohio to the West Coast and back for a total of 7,500 plus miles and encountered no major problems. I rode self-contained towing a BoB trailer. Since then I've put on another 2,500 miles. I really like it.

I have put 6000km on my T2000 since last summer. I just got back from 2000km across northern Europe.

I have not had a single flat. I haven't had to have my wheels trued. Other than tuning the shifting occasionally I've had zero problems. I have no problems cycling fast; casual riding around town I feel great going 50km/h. In the mountains fully loaded I've hit 70km/h downhill with zero stability problems.

I love my T2000 but I must admit the only other bikes I've owned were a quater of the price; not a lot to compare against.