​​​​​​I disagree that bicycle touring is dying off globally; it is more of a North American issue. As I have stated before, NA is probably the worst place I have ever bicycle toured for what I enjoy and dislike. Take Europe, for example: an estimated 25-30 million cyclists participated in at least one overnight trip last year. These numbers are increasing approximatly 5% year over year. Europe has approximately 467,000 of bicycle lanes, and the Eurovelo system consists of 91,800 km of continuous roads. This does not include the effectively unlimited quiet secondary road infrastructure. With extensive legal protections for cyclists on the road, as well as an excellent driver culture of respect. In Spain, for example, the overtaking driver must maintain 1.5 meters of clearance and, more importantly, be 20 km/h below the speed limit. Imagine that law in Wyoming or Montana.

The driver culture in NA is horrible, and overall, I find it unenjoyable. When you can find a secondary road getting passed with a foot or two to spare by some pickup towing a horse trailer is another version of hell and ruins the whole experience for me. Look at the ACA routes with hundreds of miles along the side of a highway, the only redeeming factor being that a garbage-strewn shoulder is available.

Sales of touring bikes and gear in Europe are strong, and, related to this thread, the good news is that the 520 Disc Frameset is still listed in Trek's 2026 catalogue in several European regions and the UK. Trek now positions the 520 as a "builder's bike." Since serious touring riders often have very specific preferences for drivetrains (like 3x10 setups) and saddles, Trek sells the chromoly steel frame and fork separately so you can custom-build it.