Long winded explanation : I'm trying to take a hold of the all the rail to trails in the DC area. Right now I have a Kelly Knobby-X which is set up for cross. No braze ons, 1" fork, and relatively short top tube. One bottle cage braze on.. and etc etc. Infact I'm actually thinking of buying an eno-hub to turn it into a fixed gear for the winter months. Enter the need for a true touring bike.

I don't plan on doing more than 3-4 days tours. Also plan on keeping it somewhat near civilization for now.

I'm a huge fan of steel. Would love Campy 9 speed, but I'm not against giving Shimano bar-end shifters a try. Rack braze ons a must, atleast two bottle cage mounts, and rack mounts front and rear.

Cliff notes : Has anyone given the Trek 520 and Surly Cross Checks long tests? Ya know - not the around the parking lot ride. Somewhat loaded would help. Recommendations other than these two? Photos loaded or unloaded?

Thanks so much!
-Arleigh

I have both of those bikes. Both are totally solid bikes that you'd be happy with. The 520 is going to shine on true super-loaded tours. Almost rides even better loaded, and it already rides like a cadillac by itself. The Crosscheck is an uber-versatile bike. I've got it set up fixed right now and doing a lot of longer road riding, and it's been great. Have also taken it down quite a few fire roads and singletrack with some knobby 35's. It's certainly a bit lighter than the 520, and noticeably more nimble, although not by any means twitchy. Very nice do it all ride. It is definitely strong enough to carry heavy loads, although I don't think it's got front rack eyelets on the stock fork. The Surly LHT would be more of a touring-oriented rig if that's what you're needing. Since riding the Crosscheck a lot more now, the Trek seems to be a little sluggish through town... Sturdy and comfortable, though. If you can get by without a front rack, or are willing to change it out, I'd personally go with the Surly.

520 semi-loaded in Central Oregon.

gonesh9 - that's what i'm thinking. I have about 80% of the parts, other than the frameset, rear derail and cassette.

Now to find photos of the two loaded...

Trek 520 handles heavy loads well. I agree with gonesh9 that it rides better loaded then unloaded. It just feels smoother and more responsive somehow compared to when it's light but empty of weight.

The Surly Crosscheck is indeed more nimble in the steering but still handles weight on the rear rack well. I have a Norco Axiom Tour du Monde back there and I've loaded it commutting heavy a few times without problem (think notebook computer, clothes, books, pager, cell phone, chargers, two saddlebags completely loaded).

I haven't toured on the Crosscheck yet although I plan to do so as a fixed-gear in the next little while. I believe that one option for a front rack might be to replace the existing Surly Crosscheck fork with a Surly Long-Haul one if you really want the mid-fork braze-ons.

Of interest the Trek 520 fork can't handle as large tires as it appears that the Surly Cross check one can. With fenders I currently have 700 X 35c tires on there. With recent fender mounting changes I MIGHT be able to get 700 X 38c tires on. The much better clearance on the Surly Crosscheck fork will definately allow me to mount larger tires and fenders with much more clearance.

I can't comment on gearing related issues since I bought the frame and had it built up as a fixed-gear bike using the Surly Fixed/Free hub. It's a great bike that I enjoy a great deal, commute on it 99% of the time and have noticied a real increase in my initial touring fitness level as a result of riding fixed so much!

Of course an advantage of having both is that now I leave the Trek 90% loaded and ready to go for the next tour. Just add clothes, some food supplies, replenish the water, add the thermarest and go! Much nicer then doing the packing/repacking thing.

~Jamie N

If you're looking for a good solid steel tourer that can carry big loads but still feels awesome to ride unloaded, check this bike out: https://www.marinoni.qc.ca/html/2005/05_en_turismo.asp

Marinoni is a local brand from Montreal (QC) and has a very good reputation among racers. The Turismo is their touring bike. Its geometry is a little more sporty than most touring bikes, but it's extremely solid and will handle a lot of weight. And you can use tires up to 700x35 with fenders and 700x38 without, so you can even turn it into a good cyclocross bike (although a bit heavy).

I have the Marinoni Turismo and it's a truly sweet bike. You said you like Campy and steel. Well, this bike is made of the nice Columbus Zona Double-butted assymetrical tubes, and comes with a full Campy Veloce gruppo (except the brakes which are Tektro Mini-V). My crankset is 52-42-30 and cassette is 10-speed 13-29. Of course this may seem a bit too high for many ppl on this forum, but if you have strong legs, I find 30/29 is good enough for hills while loaded.

And I wanted a versatile bike that I could race with with my friends, but still take it our a tour when I feel like it (I couldn't afford two bikes, one for each task!). Right now I'm mostly training (i.e. racing) with it, and the only things I change are the tires. They come with 700x32, and i changed to 700x25 (smallest tires you can put on the rims). I also put the stem lower and flip it to put it on the "negative slope" side. When going on tour I put the 700x32 tires back and put the stem higher and flip it on the "positive slope" side so I stand more upright.

So far I've been very happy with the setup. At first I didn't like the brakes too much, as they had a tendency to stick on one side of the rim, but after a little bit of fine-tuning I fixed the problem. Other than that, it's all good.

I have 1000 kms so far on the bike and no problem at all. Wheels are very solid; I caught many huge potholes (very common in Montreal!) and they are still true. And I love the Veloce Gruppo. Very esthetic, performant, reliable, and durable.

This bike retails for 1750$ CAN here in Montreal, about the same price than the Trek 520. After shopping around, I realized that for the price the Turismo was a much better choice, and was more versatile (but I ended up finding an "almost new" Turismo for 1330$ CAN taxes included, exactly my size!!! )

Here's a picture of my bike with front and rear racks. Anyway, if you're looking for a steel tourer with Campy and that nice Italian style, check out the Marinoni!

Oh, and I forgot to mention, yes, the Marinoni Turismo has three bottle cage mounts, racks mounts for rear and front, and also fender mounts.

i just toured on my crosscheck... portland, OR to vancouver, CA.. the crosscheck was a wonderful, wonderful baby. i had only a rear rack, but with panniers + backpacking backpack widthwise. and of course, going on rides after you unloaded were much more of a pleasure on the crosscheck than my companions bikes.

Elalib -

The shop I was running/ working at in Boston is the only East Coast dealer of Marinoni. I saw and road a few turismo's. Problem is I would have to go through them to get the frame..

I'm sort of going through the same decision process now, though with the CC, LHT, and the Nashbar touring frame.

The Surly website notes that the Cross Check is set up to accept either 700 or 26" hubs so I'm leaning in that direction right now. The low price of the Nashbar frame sure makes it attractive though.

I'm pretty sure you can call Marinoni directly and they'll ship you the frame... 1-888-477-7133