Garthr

There's lots of frame builders who can build a frame comparable to, and better than a 720. There is nothing mythical about a 720, other than it was made in the USA by Trek craftsman, other than Taiwanese folks. Reynolds 531 tubes were standard for good bikes back then. The angles were nothing to write home about ,a 73.5 degree STA? I wouldn't use that on a racing bike. Short top tubes. ...... and on ..... but that's not my point. . . . the point is while the 720 was a fine frame, it has and can be bettered to this day. You can get a better made frame than the current mass produced stuff, and not pay 2 or 3 grand and wait for 6-18 months.

My last custom road bike I had built here in Ohio from Jack Franklin of https://home.windstream.net/franklinframe/ . He's a one man operation, and builds great frames. I got the last of the Reynolds 531ST tubesets in 1999. I didn't have to wait very long, less than a month I think. About $775 for a sport touring configuration with 18" chainstays. Rides wonderfully. He uses other tubing these days, but he can still build a frame like it for around a grand I think. Lugged or lugless. He has a price list, but it's not really accurate.


People get enamored with brands. Who cares? It says Trek or Surly or whoever and people go ga-ga. Pure Comedy! The cheap, mass produced Taiwan frames get minimal attention to anything, yet people are fooled by brand names, thinking they are more than they are.

The proof is in all that you don't see. The quality and dimensions of the steel, the workmanship and the angles.

Philly Tandem

If I had a nice vintage 720, I'd seriously consider just updating it to modern specs with the help of a framebuilder. Have the rear triangle respaced to 130 (135 might be a bit much from the original 126), have any additional braze-ons added, get a nice repaint, and even consider adding S&S couplers if you plan to travel. Even with couplers, probably cheaper than having a non-coupled custom Bruce Gordon or Bilenky built and you have a similar quality ride.

I'm not familiar with the 620's specs so much, assume it's kind of "720-lite" version?

+1 on the modern long-reach sidepulls like Tektro or the Shimano version. Nicely made, lots of stopping power, and really easy to set up. I have a set on my Co-Motion Nor'wester and really like them, even though I'm a long-time cantilever fan on most of my bikes.

rtool

I also have a 2008 520 and love it. I added a Brooks B17 saddle and fenders. Goes where ever I point it.

fietsbob

Had a Specialized expedition. fitted with B Gordon's racks, worked well
his TW frames are likely fine, racks are great.

Tout Terrain German disc brake 26'' wheel touring frames look good too,
Peter White sells those , shipped out of NH, In the US
best with Rohloff drivetrain , but offer derailleur version too

Waterford , in Wisc, , SJS in UK. Co Motion, in Oregon
Koga in NL.. just have 7005 alloy frames, but their rep as world tour machines is established.
I like my Koga WTR, a Real Trekking rig.. Schmidt Rohloff Magura.

seems like 2 % of Portland Oregon is a custom framebuilder
20% are working in a bike-shop.

Hangtownmatt

All this positive talk about the Bruce Gordon BLT. Does this include the Taiwanese version?

Matt

BengeBoy 

This post is very interesting to me -- I thought Beckman's were pure vaporware these days (I say that partly based on comments I've seen on the Internets, and the fact that his website hasn't been updated in many years, from what I can tell).

I hadn't heard that the is actually taking (or filling) orders. I hope when it comes in you'll post photos of the bike and tell us more about it. Would be interesting to see if Beckmans are a real option.

(BTW, there are plenty of great touring bikes that don't take a year to get, even custom made).

Iowegian

Re the Trek 620...Only the 1985 version (blue paint) has the same long chain stays as the 720. The 83 and 84 versions are nice but more different compared to the 720's of the same year.

My son has an '85 620 and loves it. It's a bit too small for me but I can still ride it and it is a very sweet bike.

InTheRain

+1 on the Rocky Mountain Sherpa 30. I live in the Puget Sound area and I drove to Vancouver, BC to get mine. It's been everything I expected. I, too, prefer the STI brifters for convenience.

Sixty Fiver

If you are otherwise happy with the bike, a good frame builder could add all the braze ons you want and add canti mounts which would also rate some refinishing... your fork could be modified or a new one could be built and you'd be spending far less than you would on a new 520 or LHT.

Our little shop is just over those big hills but am sure someone local could do the work for you... and always want folks to consider local builders before they start looking too far as we need all the support we can get.

Our turnaround on frames and forks is about a month and we could make an exact copy of your current bike with all the features you desired or build a full custom... but that is going to be a little pricier.

But if it was me, I'd consider making those modifications to the frame (if you are already happy with your 620) and upgrade parts as needed.

I could build myself a new touring bike but I really like my old one... it will be getting a few more braze ons in the spring and I am building some custom wheels for it so I can ride across those big hills on a bike I really love.

tom cotter

Wow, fifteen bikes considered and still no decision. That seems to me to be Analysis paralysis. They way i see it, as the owner of two Trek 520's and 89 and 04, is that you could take any bike, strip it and spec it out however you'd like. 720,620,520, etc, find a good copy and go for it!

Blues Frog

+1 on a 520