The Arvon is not mine... it is a demo and is also for sale but lives here so people can come and take it out for test rides as our shop is 30 miles out in the country.

The older Trek 7500 has a very similar geometry to the Trek 520 and the ZX frame and steel fork are exceptionally stiff... this is not a bike you would want to run on high psi slicks. With 700:35 tyres beneath her at 75-80 psi the ride is / was truly amazing and the bike would suck up the bumps like they were not there whether you were running light or fully loaded and I also used this bike for a lot of towing.

I was really pleased with my 7500 as an all rounder and only parted with it as I have bikes that can do what the Trek did and because a dear friend needed a really nice bike and also loved the Trek, having borrowed it on many occasions.

Conversely... my Kuwahara Cascade is equally as stiff and is not as pleasant a ride when it is unloaded unless you drop the tyre pressure down and I use it's sister as my commute and run on 26 by 1.175 tyres at 65 psi and the ride is wonderful and still rather fast.

Tyres and pressure really do more to tune up the ride than anything else and this is why most touring bikes use higher volume tyres die to the extra stiffness in the frame.