On 12/4/2017 2:59 PM, sms wrote:
On 12/4/2017 10:46 AM, wrote:
On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 5:41:21 PM UTC-6, sms wrote:

Trek's touring bicycle selection has always been lousy, they have the
Trek 520 which is inferior to other brands' touring bicycles.

Trek has the 520 for loaded touring.Â* Most every other bike company
has exactly ONE loaded touring bike too.Â* The 520 is very similar or
the exact same as every other loaded touring bike sold.Â* There are no
differences in loaded touring bikes.Â* They all have steel frame and
forks made in China.Â* Shimano or maybe SRAM mid/low level components.
Bar end shifters.Â* 9 speed cassette.Â* Triple crank.Â* They are all the
same.Â* None are inferior or superior to the others.Â* They are all the
same.Â* Only difference is price.Â* Nashbar and Bikes Direct are at the
cheaper end and Trek is at the higher end.Â* Same bike.

I assume you have never ever in your life been loaded touring.Â* The
Trek 520 works just fine as a loaded touring bike.Â* I have several
months and thousands of miles to back this up.Â* You just want a bike
that works just fine day after day.Â* Nothing fancy or wild.

You can tell the difference between loaded touring bicycles by looking
at the type of steel, the geometry, the components, and the included, if
any, racks.

As Russell said, the components are fine. 2018 Trek 520 has a Deore rear
derailleur, Alivio front derailleur and Dura Ace shifters. Most other
components are decent Shimano stuff. The steel is butted chrome-moly. It
comes with a decent rack and fittings for front low riders. I don't know
what more you want. The bike has a very good reputation and it's well
deserved.

A big advantage in newer models, is disc brakes, i.e. the Surly Long
Haul Trucker Disc model. These would have been very nice to have when
doing loaded touring on steep long downhill runs.

Ah yes, now that disc brakes are on the market, the brakes that served
us well for decades are suddenly inadequate. Fashion is everything!

--
- Frank Krygowski