Originally Posted by
countrydirt
... I need to get with the LBS mechanic and get a plan. My drinking buddy bike mechanic just wants to talk about changing to a 1X front and I don't think that will do anything but limit. Not sure if I can source an MTB front crankset and figure out how to install but maybe the longtime LBS mechanic and direct me. As far as I can tell, the 520 has the stock front crank and rear cluster right now.
A 1X? ... No. That is the latest fad, but that is not good for distance touring.
If it is a 1997, a trek of that age probably has a road triple. If it has a five arm 74mm BCD, you can put a 24T granny gear on it. You might lose a couple gears that have your smallest sprockets and smallest chainring, but those are cross chainged gears, should not use them anyway. If you lose them, the reason is that your rear derailleur might not be able to take up the slack.
I am guessing eight speed cassette.
My medium touring bike has an eight speed Sram 11/32 cassette, a mid 90s XT rear derailleur, bar end shifters, a vintage Suntour front derailleur, and a Campy triple with 46/42/24 (half step plus granny) gearing. Photo below:
This is not a Trek, but the drive train might be very similar to yours. My crank started out as a road triple, I reduced the size of the big ring and granny ring. The photo above is not of the bike I used for my Pacific Coast trip, but the gearing is almost identical to what I used along the coast. But, I can't comment on what things are like as you leave the coast and head to Colorado, others will have to provide that input.
Unfortunately this does not say much about the details:
http://www.vintage-trek.com/Trek-Fis...d/1997trek.pdf
Can you post a photo or a couple photos of your drive train and shifters?