Just about every post I have read on the Trek 520, people say they have switched out the rack. Why is this so necessary? The stock rack on my Trek says it has a 50lb max capacity. How is it different than a blackburn or some other high-end ALUMINUM rack? Have any of you actually experienced your stock Trek rack failing you in the field?

I don't know much on that rack but I do know I have a front and rear surly nice rack.... Those things are indistructable.... I tried to break them with having girls sit on them for a couple miles..... nothing... they are amazing..

Cheers,

Coco

P.S yes they were fat girls....

I've had three racks brake on me; one was from a crash, the other at a weld from too much compression and the third from my panniers swaying while on tour. All three were stronger looking than the one that Trek uses. I would cough up and buy something that will last a long time and has a lifetime warranty.

Is it all about the material the rack is made of?

The Trek rack is a POS and doesn't take standard panniers easily or provide for a lot of fore-aft adjustments. It has weak adjustable dropouts at the bottom. Replace it.

Mine is not an 06, so I can't really comment (if they have changed it). However since Trek has never listened to anybody regarding the crankset, why would they listen to anyone about the rack. I agree that it looks OK, mine did too, but it was a piece of junk. My advice, garage sale it while it still looks new. There are some great racks out there. My favorite is the Tubus (which is rated at 80 pounds). Every bike dealer that has seen my bike gasps with envy over the Tubus rack. Why would you risk a trip being ruined because you rack breaks in the middle of nowhere. I would buy cheaper panniers before I left the Trek rack on the bike. Gee, do I sound too opinionated?

That all makes sense. I suppose I could put it on ebay or just switch it to my other bike and use it for grocery shopping.

I should add that when my rack broke, it was on the rear stay and it look as if it was cut in half with a saw. The broken part collapsed into the rear rim just short of tearing into my spokes! Now if that happened it would have ruined a trip of a lifetime and left me in the middle of nowhere.

That's what I did - it fit perfectly on my hybrid.

I also have an '06 Trek 520 . . . what racks would you recommend for loaded touring? I plan to carry 25 - 30 pounds on the rear rack and 10 - 15 pounds on the front.

Thanks!
Cherry Bomb

The only rack I'd recommend would be a Tubus Cargo. I've busted lesser racks.

A 50lbs (22.5kG) load limit is not much.
The Tubus Fly model has a 40lbs limit and it is designed for ultra-light use, not expeditions. The Tubus touring racks such as the Cargo have a 90lbs limit.

TUBUS Cargo and one of theTubus front racks, depending on the configuration you want. There are other great brands out there, I'll let other owners comment on them, but you can't go wrong with Tubus. The best deals that I know of are here:
https://www.thetouringstore.com/index.htm