Can you help me with some TREK 520 disc questions?

1. What range of tires can I run? I was hoping to run from 28mm to 42mm+
2. I heard that the rack that comes with the bike is not a very good one. What rack is recommended for the front and back of the bike?
3. How difficult is it to mount fenders and are there any special fenders that are needed for the bike?
4. On a normal ride, without touring bags, where do you store your lock and what kind of a lock is recommended?
5. Is there a good front handlebar bag that I can use to store maps, cell phone, snacks, etc on rides?
6. Should I go ahead and buy panniers and ride the bike with the panniers attached or take them off when riding the bike as a commuter or to the store?

Sorry, prolly pretty silly questions to most of you long time riders, but things I just don't know any decent details about. My LBS will order about anything and I have this feeling that their recommendations are based a lot on profit margin.

Thanks,
Snow

1) I'd say it'll safely fit 42mm tires. Not sure above that but at least 42 with fenders.

2) rear tubus cargo is probably the best rack on the market all things considered. Not too pricey and Tubus has a crapload of spare parts / mounting options available. Steel cromo construction and the cargo has 80lbs weight limit.
Up front a Tubus Tara. Simple but effective
Also the thing to consider about tubus is that they aren't heavy at all.

3) fender mounting is dead easy. Absolutely no issue. Also the tubus tara you'll be getting has additional fender mounting points

4)i have a front basket in my commuter setting so I store my locks there. Some people use bags / backpacks etc. Your choice

5)Ortlieb ultimate6 is really nice. It locks the lid on and locks onto the bike and is completely waterproof

6)panniers are expensive. Don't use them if you don't need them. But they do allow for a car free lifestyle ss you can transport your stuff in them (groceries, work clothes etc)

thanks elcruxio, that helps a lot.

Your Trek dealer will help you fit all the accessories you wish, and Knock off a typical 10% off..


As to 4 a Bordo folding lock From Abus either has its carry pouch bolted on in place of 1 waterbottle ,
or straps on the frame , Perhaps suspended under the top tube..

Ive used the top tube mount (looped armored cable lock) it fills the space above the bottles , without blocking any..

during the tours , Accessible easily, so you use it whenever you stop.


Ive used My (Ortlieb Roll closed) Panniers Most for grocery runs ..

5? Ortlieb... stuff stays dry .. top of the line has a touch through window.

the rack that it comes with it's Fine , its Made in aluminum
[have riders already crossing the continent using the stock 520 arriving on the coast every few weeks ]
Tubus uses steel , Buy one in addition, and the dealer may give you a trade-in rebate on the stock one.

Only a Trek dealer can order a Trek, so is the local dealer a Trek dealer?

1 - Ask the dealer. Then ask the dealer if you have a smaller maximum size tire with fenders?
2 - I like the Tubus Ergo front and Tubus Logo EVO rear. The Logo EVO is best with panniers, it does not do well with just a rack top bag since it is too narrow for most rack top bags. When I get home from a trip, I strip off the Ergo and Logo, put a cheap rear rack on instead.
3 - I do not know your skill level.
4 - I am not going to recommend a lock, I lock my bike in pretty safe areas, I do not know about where you will park it.
5 - I spent several hours modifying my handlebar bag, so I would not recommend the one I got.
6 - I use a shopping type pannier for around home, not my touring panniers. I take the shopping pannier into the store because I put my groceries in it. I use two different shopping panniers, a large and a small, the ones I got are no longer sold.

I recently bought one of these panniers to use as a gym bag, got the medium size. Works great for that purpose, would likely work well as a commuting bag too. Shipping from the UK was about $6. But it is a weird web site, put a couple more items in your cart and suddenly shipping jumps to over $60.
Cordo Valda Single Pannier Bag | Planet X

Since you have been asking about tire widths and touring bike options in a few threads, I figured I would toss this info into this thread.
Camargue Frameset - Frames

VO Campeur Frameset - Frames

VO could be a one stop shop to build a bike up from the frame or you could get just the frame and fork then build it up via your LBS or at home.

The two I listed allow for good tire clearance even with fenders and have attachment points all over.

Thanks for all the help. I really liked the VO Campeur Frameset, but am not sure that I know enough about all the parts that I would need to actually assemble a bike yet...kind of overwhelming to me.

Makes sense.
You can always have your lbs set up some stuff while you do the rest. They place the headset for example. You attach lol the components and they take it in for a professional tightening.

Doing this helps when something's breaks while riding because you know the components better and have already done some tightening/adjusting.