Originally Posted by mikescooling

I've got one too

Originally Posted by alexaschwanden

Here my 2010 trek 520!

Originally Posted by DeadheadSF

2011 - looks just like mine. I'm still trying to get the fit setup to suit me. Just put a riser stem on it which helps a bit. Next is to swap out those bars with a 42cm set. The 44 is just too wide for me and kills my wrists. The new bars will have a much flatter top as well. Then, once I have the spare cash, I'm ripping off the cheapo trek rack and replacing it with Tubus (front and rear). Running a brooks B17, but I haven't decided if I'm going to keep that on there or replace it with a more modern "flat" road saddle. I'm not sure why people like Brooks saddles so much... saddle design (and knowledge of human anatomy and what happens when certain parts are compressed) has improved a great deal since that saddle was designed.

Originally Posted by Chris_W

I've loved my Trek 520 ever since I got it in 2002. It's done over 10,000 miles now, here are some highlights.

During a tour through the Alps with my wife, this is us reaching the top of the Umbrail pass between Switzerland and Italy at 2,505 metres (8,200 ft):



Here, I'm on a ferry that is about to cross part of the Rhine in Holland. This was towards the end of a tour from Switzerland to Holland via the Vosges mountains of France, the hills and valleys of Luxembourg, and the Belgian Ardennes:



I've also used the bike for many things other than touring. For instance, it made a decent, though heavy bike for cyclosportifs until I bought my Madone 18 months ago. This is me with with my brother-in-law just before we did 165 km / 100 miles and 3000m / 10,000ft of climbing in the Gruyere Cycling Tour in Switzerland - he beat me by 7 minutes:



I've made many modifications to my Trek 520. I recently looked at it closely and realized that only the frame, fork, seatpost clamp, and left-hand brake lever are original parts (I've even replaced the headset recently). This highlights another great thing about the Trek 520 - it is so adaptable and customizable.

Originally Posted by mkauffman

I was looking through my pictures and realized how few I have of my bike, let alone of it in it's current state.

1. Here's mine in front with a friend's in back
2. In Glacier
3. And here it is straddling the Missippippi with two day old Brooks (great investment even halfway through 2 month tour)
4. On the shore in Anacortes, WA

Originally Posted by CyKKlist

I have my 2006 520 in sage green. Funny how I won't put too much thought into my own clothing coordination (ask my wife), but I'll put thought into how things look with the bike. I have a dark green Brooks saddle, red handlebar and trunk bags, and red panniers. Since I have small children I don't have the time/money/freedom to tour as much as I'd like, but I use the 520 as my only bike right now -- commuter, club rides, charity/century rides, and now as a towing bike for my son's Novara Afterburner (trail a bike). Here's a shot of the 520 in its latest role. We're training now for the PALM ride across Michigan in June.
I've also added two photos of the 520 fully loaded, from a trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in '07.

Originally Posted by Raffi

I know your out there. Who just loves their 520? (Or loved and misses it) I thought we'd just start a thread to talk about why. It would be fun finding the words. Most of all, I want to see all the pics!!

Originally Posted by valygrl

A few more

Originally Posted by Bumbler

Here's my 1984. I've since added fenders, replaced the saddle with a B17, and made a couple other small changes.

Originally Posted by Thulsadoom

I can't for the life of me understand how so many old bikes have stock (looking?) paint jobs. I started painting all my bikes black because the paint always gets destroyed. Here's mine. I love my 520.

Originally Posted by 63_dorinte

may i join? 1987 trek 520 "cirrus", only original part remaining is the frame. Just out of a total rebuild and finally got it set up the way i wanted. From a short ride today:



my only complaint about this frame is that my legs hit (both sides) on a large water bottle in the seat tube cage. Small bottle is fine. I have another frame that has this problem, probably just the small size.

Originally Posted by vertigan

Here's my 2005 520, at a rest stop in Westport, NY, along Lake Champlain, on Day 1 of a 10-day tour of northern Vermont. I love this bike, though I was glad I geared it down for this trip.

Originally Posted by valygrl

I'm a fan