Trek 520

Love this bike. it rides like a Cadillac! I rode mine from Philadelphia to Key West. The bontrager hard case tires that came with it held up great. No flats the entire trip. I changed the saddle to a Brooks B17 flyer and actually rode with regular shorts...that's right....no pads! The only thing that bothers me with manufacturers is pre-cutting the steer tube. I think it should be up to the customer on how low or high the tube should be cut. I would have like the tube higher for touring. Other than that...great bike!

I rode a 2012 Trek 520 from Seaside, Oregon to Long Island, New York. 3,794 miles and it never disappointed me. The frame is heavy, yes, but if you're carrying gear on an unsupported ride, nothing can compete. I had 2 fellow riders on that tour. Both were on "normal" road bikes and had constant issues. I had to replace the tires in Iowa, but other than that the 520 was perfect. I replaced the saddle with a Brooks for a more comfortable ride, and added a front rack for carrying capacity. I found the 520 very enjoyable to ride around without weight, too. (Which is how I got it stolen, and why I need another one.) It's faster than you'd think, in spite of its own weight. The gear system takes a bit of getting used to, but it soon feels natural. The most distinctive difference between this and my racing bike is the wheels. They're wider than a standard road bike, which is perfect for touring. If you ever end up on gravel or dirt, you won't be totally sunk. They also bear weight well. I don't just mean this in terms of balance. I carried about 50 lbs of gear everyday for 52 days and never broke a spoke. This bike is tough as nails, and comfortable to ride.

I have ridden over 12,000 miles on my trek 520 and am thinking about getting a second one so I can have 1 full time at my vacation home. After 12 years of riding a mid level trek I decided to upgrade and couldn't believe the difference. I do 2 week long tours in the summer and this bike is good for all types of elevations. fit woman in my 50's I just love this bike

I researched all the top brands looking for the perfect bike for me and the 520 has won my heart. It's the most comfortable bike I have ever been on and the gearing is great for flatland or hilly riding. I have been able to double my ride distance and am planning a long tour in the spring. I would not have even thought about it on my last bike. I have upgraded the seat, but that's all.

Went from [...] to [...] in 2010, I put over 5,000 miles on the bike in the first year. Only a few modifications like a new saddle but everything else was the same with one tire change and a few tubes along the way. As a 5'2 woman this bike was perfect for me.

I bought my 520 in 1995, and since then it's done over 80,000kms. Only the frame and front derailleur are original, but I've had the frame repainted. It is a beautifully balanced bike with touring load on front and rear and is as solid as a rock descending with load, but the brakes are underpowered. Probably better with disks. For my touring I use a 48-36-24 chainring setup and 12-36T cassette. Still have the occasional walk up some hills, but it's considerably better than the standard setup. Price in Oz when they were last imported a year or so ago was double the US cost despite our dollar being almost at parity. It's a good bike, but not at any cost.

I bought this bike for less than a year and used it a lot -- RAGBRAI ( bike across IOWA ), NUMB Ride for Hunger in NE (multi-day bike event), many bike events and exercise almost every morning -- No problem with the bike; never have a flat tire; just changed a better saddle-that's all - Happy biker

I have a 1997 Trek 520 which has serviced my needs admirably. However, in deciding on a replacement I am facing the same issue now that I was then - I am between sizes, which in Trek's case are simply too far apart to be made up for by stem and seat adjustments. I am a 55-56 cm frame size. And yet Trek only has 54cm (in reality slightly less) and 57cm (in reality slightly more). When is Trek going to move away from the old fashioned 2 inch increments (which it has for every other model) for the 520?

Got this bike for my first tour a few years back. Took her from upstate NY to CA, almost 5000 miles in less than two months. She got one flat tire the whole way, and that was it. I named her Sparta by the end of the first week, and it's the perfect name for this bike. Extremely solid and reliable, and a great all-around bike as well. And beautiful. What more can you ask for. Not a racing bike, to be fair, but if you want a racing bike, go get one. Different purpose here.

I just rode my first century on the 2011 520 I purchased last month, and I continue to love this bike! It's very comfortable, with a relaxed geometry that still feels good after 100 miles. I especially like the ease of riding on the drops, as well as the easy access to the bar-end shifters from the drops. Great for short grocery trips as well as longer rides. I swapped in half-SPD, half-platform pedals since the stock pedals weren't great for around-town trips. Also, I'm still undecided about the stock saddle, but I think I'll probably replace it with something softer.

I recently got a Trek 520 for a 12-mile commute over flat terrain. I shopped around a lot before I chose the 520. Now that I have over 500 miles on the bike, I can say that I'm very happy with it. While cruising, the bike feels stable, fast, and comfortable. It's easy to get into the drops when there's a headwind. For a longer commute, it's great to ride a bike set up for a pannier bag -- it's much more comfortable than carrying a messenger bag or backpack. There are some modifications that I made to set up the 520 for my specific purposes. I got reflective sidewall tires for better visibility. I put on pedals that are half-SPD and half-platform for parts of my ride when I have to get on and off the pedals a lot. I switched out the stock rack for one that fits my favorite bag a little better and takes a rack-mounted taillight. When winter comes, I'll probably pick up some full fenders. The stock fenders have their advantage (easy removal), but they're probably not the best choice for frequent wet weather riding. Unlike some other reviewers, I don't mind the stock saddle at all. Finally, I find the bike's gearing range way more than I need, but it allows me to daydream about taking it on a tour one day. Great bike.

I bought my 520 in 1990, a few weeks before a 5,000 miles cross country tour. I have now used 3 different bikes on tours, and the 520 is the easily the best. It now has over 23,000 miles on it, and despite scraps, bangs, crashes and falling off the back of a car going 65 mph, the bike is still going strong. I did have to replace the rear wheel due to crack in rim, but that was after 20,000 miles of hard use. It does a great job carrying a heavy touring load, and performs well as a communing bike also. I have been very happy with this bike.

I Saved up for 2 months for this bike, and when I got it I was far from disappointed. In 3 months Ive dropped 30+ plbs and 6 waist sizes. I put in a 106 mile ride to Carolina Beach NC, took me 9 hrs and I promise you my trek was in much better shape then me! I can't wait to travel Cross country on this bike. I can go anywhere on my Bicycle! This bike is Built solid. The most amazing thing is that fully loaded it appears to ride even better, and with 27 gears you can climb and climb fully loaded with no problem. A amazing bike that I'm very glad I saved up from 2 months for! Thank you Trek for this life changer!

I'm a female cyclist who bought this bike a year ago and use it for fully loaded touring and local longer day rides between 40-150km. I love the simplicity for touring - there is really nothing I couldn't fix on the road and am glad it has bar end shifters just for that reason. At my bike fitting we changed the seat (a no-brainer there), swapped to a narrower female bar, put on smaller brake levers so I could reach them and added some spacers to the headset to correct the seat to handlebar height ratio for me. The fit now is very good. Eventually I changed the rear cassette to get a better climbing gear and now I can climb anything loaded. I'm now about to put on 23 or 25 tires to get a little more speed on day rides when I'm riding with my friends with carbon road bikes. I don't commute on it though -I commute on a hybrid because I like to be on the brakes while riding in heavy traffic and like the comfort of front suspension over pothole roads.

Stock road gearing too high. I switched components from stock road gearing to lower geared XTR mountain bike components Not enough room between fork crown and top of tire to use fenders when using 700x36 and 38 tires. Disc brakes would be so much better with heavy loads in wet weather and on long steep down hills. Trek, you can do better.

I purchased this bike after a lot of research and for the dollar got what I expect to accomplish a cross-country ride this summer. I had read prior reviews and have to fully agree with the statements made about the seat. I truly wonder why after such a common theme Trek continues to put a sub-average seat on such a solid bike. Less than one hour of riding and I was in pain. Swapped out an old seat I had on another bike and the problem was resolved. Other than the seat this is a great bike!

I ride alot and own quite a few bikes of all varieties. I've always thought the 520 was a good looking bike but never see them too much in the shops. I found one in a 57 near by, they assembled it for me after a few words over the phone and I headed up to the shop. When I arrived it was assembled and waiting for me to test ride it. It fit well and I fell in love and took it home. My other trek is a 60, so at first riding this one was a little strange since I was actually use to over reaching and seeing this massive frame below me. I think this one is a better fit, I can ride all day without any pain and the drive train actually has me looking for those climbs that intimidated me on my compact! The 520 is a joy to ride, more than an all arounder and funner than the typical tourer, since the bars sit a little low, but definately capable of comfort and being loaded up. It's a head turner as well and it seems everyone thinks its gorgeous..

I have a 1984 520. It just turned 50,000 miles. It's been across the US and down both coasts. I've changed a lot of components due to the wear and tear of the open road, but the frame, fork, head set, front derailer are original condition.

Great bike, I purchased my 520 in 1994. Have thousands of miles on it including several week long mountain tours and self contained tours. The 520 has amasing ride when fully loaded. Looking to purchase a new 520 and have my wife ride the old one.

I bought my 2009 Trek 520 (the first year for the new 520 geometry) in February of 2009. Today, Sept. 2, 2010, I have about 3500 miles on it. I "love" my 520 (and get lots of compliments from other riders). My occasional 50 mile weekend rides are as comfortable as my daily 15 mile rides. I would have given it a "five star" review, but I had problems with one of the rims shortly after getting it home (a slight, but annoying pulsation when braking due to distortion at seam of the rim). The bike shop warrantied the rims and swapped the Bontragers (factory didn't have any more in stock)for Mavic A319 rims - WOW! MUCH nicer rims. I was surprised to find a sizable bubble developing on the tread of the front tire (tread separation)and replaced both tires tonight with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires. The Bontragers are comfortable, above average for flat resistance, grippy, roll out well and, with 3300 miles tires, still have plenty of tread - all of which makes the bubble (tread separation)pretty disappointing. I replaced the seat with a Brooks B-17 ONLY because I REALLY like the Brooks leather saddles (they just keep getting more comfortable with the miles). The original saddle was not uncomfortable for me, but I have gotten spoiled by my Brooks on our tandem. I installed a Delta stem riser to bring the bars up level with the seat (more comfort for those 50 mile rides). I am a just under 6' with a 32 1/2 inch inseam and have a 57cm frame. The fenders are a nice thought, but do little to keep crud off the frame during a rainy ride (and that coming from someone living in the desert in Phoenix). You will probably want to go with something else for l.d. touring. So, would I buy it again? You betcha!! Just wish I had more time to ride!