Originally Posted by
tiredhands
I lurrrrrrv my 1990 520. It's been in several configurations over the last couple years, and done it all very well. It's a real swiss-army bike - even more so because the same frame was used by Trek for their 750 hybrid and their 900 series mountain bike around the same time. Same frame, different brazeons, and different wheel sizes. I don't do any more long distance touring, so the frame is going to get a proper repaint and rebuilt as a monstercross/"adventure" rig. Many thumbs up!
My favorite brakes are the Tektro BX3 mini vs, they give just the right amount of clearance without looking awkward, imo. Works with fenders!
Thanks for the reply. I already have a '92 Trek 950 and Salsa Vaya (adventure) so don't know how redundant the 520 will turn out to be in the end. My plans are to build up the 520, compare and maybe get rid of 1.
I have no complaints with the Deore LX cantilever brakes on my 950, so I'd imagine I won't have any issues if I install DX or XT of the same era. I'll keep the Tektro BX3 mini brakes in mind if for some reason I don't like them.