Originally Posted by
Mooo
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I recall one of Trek's ads for this bike ca 1980,1981 saying something about it being "this year's model of the bike that John Rakowski rode around the world"
I had a 620 which was essentially the same frame and it was adequate for middlin' tours (1800 miles/21 days at 95lb all up).
It was a very capable bike. I see no reason why it would not be so now.
Of course, these days I'm thinking something like a LeTour might actually be better in some ways.
Adequate and capable yes. I have done similar distance on a nishiki international and yes it was adequate but I found myself wanting larger tires on rough loose surfaces and that the stem and bars had a lot of flex which translated into instability. The long headtube on a 25" frame also has a lot more flex. Yes you CAN travel around the world on the trek, but if it is a question of which bike is more versitile and better equipped to do the job, the surly wins hands down. That is what is was emphasizing in my previous post, not that the trek is not a good bike to do long distance touring on, but that for the same price you can buy a new bike with stronger components and a design that has benefitted from 20 years more of bike design and technology development for the same price.
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1 Super Record bike, 1 Nuovo Record bike, 1 Pista, 1 Road, 1 Cyclocross/Allrounder, 1 MTB, 1 Touring, 1 Fixed gear