StuckInMud

A friend of a friend has offered to sell me his Trek 520 after finding out I was looking for a touring bike.

The Trek is the 2005 model I think - maroon colour. In excellent condition and he is offering it for $1,400.00AUD. He has made no changes to the stock bike.

On the other hand I am also interested in a Surly LHT complete - brand new for $1,500.00AUD.

I'm leaning more to the Surly LHT but would welcome any comments that may sway me towards the Trek.

I've read some memorable journals that involved people riding the Trek so I have a soft spot for it.

Sorry guys - I promise there will be a decision on which bike I buy.....soon.

Mchaz

I think most people would agree you are comparing apples to oranges. If you are a 54cm or smaller in an LHT, there will be a difference of 26" (LHT) vs. 700c (520) wheels. The braze-ons are a little different. I've heard the Trek doesn't have the greatest gearing for touring out of the box, but I don't know if that's true of the '05 model.

Don't you think $1400 AUD is a little much for a two year old 520 though?

StuckInMud

The guy bought it just over a year ago and paid $2,300.00AUD brand new.

anotherdavid

buy the LHT and enjoy it! I got mine for $1300AUD and it's pretty well specced for the price and it's a good ride.

Off the rack touring bikes are pretty rare in Australia and to my mind Trek bikes are overpriced here.

How do the specs of the '05 Trek compare to the LHT Complete?

NoReg

The main issue is fit. Beyond that, Surly has a higher cool factor than Trek, because you can spec it any way you want to, and it is designed heavier than the average touring bike built along classic lines. Both are good bikes, the 26" wheel ofering on the LHT in the smaller sizes is something nobody should pass over given the chance. If you can get a Surly frame and have a donour bike you may get it on road pretty cheap.

valygrl

are you getting racks w/either bike, and which racks? that might be a price-point factor. the trek stock rack sucks.

if it's stock gearing on the trek and mountain bike gearing on the LHT, that would be a huge deciding factor.

but as peterpan1 said, the most important thing is fit.

fatall

Funny thing is, I was in the exactly same predicament. I was looking at buy a LHT complete(new) or getting a Trek 520(via eBay) I was lucky the Trek was local and I was able to test ride it.

For me I preferred the LHT, I liked the geometry and the spec's for LHT was in between road gearing and mountain bike gearing.

So I brought the LHT for $1300.00. To be fair, I have only picked up the LHT last night. So I have been at work and at night I have fished oiled the frame, fit the cycle computer, bidon cages. I am looking forward to the weekend and take it for a spin.

Nigeyy

As previously stated, fit is the way to go. Both bikes should be excellent. Trek 520's were given higher gearing, but it depends on where you are going as to whether or not that is an issue or if that's even the case on the bike you are looking at. Having said that, I don't believe that would be the reason not to buy the Trek if you really liked it (chainrings/cassettes can always be changed). If you do fit a 54cm Surly, it does mean you would have 26" wheels if that makes a difference to you. Sure you can spec a Surly, but it's not cheap and you might end up with compromises anyway. An issue for me personally is that the LHT frame is made in Taiwan and the Trek in the USA (at least 520's were made in the USA), so I'd go with the USA frame for that alone -course, that's just my personal take on it.

Simply put: try to ride both. Get whichever one you like the best. Everything approximately equal? What colour do you like the best?

tpelle

I have a brand-new LHT - just two weeks old now - and I love it. The gearing is, for all intents and purposes, equal to the low gear on my Trek 820 mountain bike (if you do the gear-inch calculations, it's actually lower by a few decimal places), and the high gear is actually higher than my old 10-speed road bike. Actually the high gear is so high that I only use it going downhill - on the flats I have trouble keeping my cadence up in the highest gear. I'm a 54 year old guy just getting back in to bicycling, so take that for what it's worth.

I don't know the mechanical details of the Trek 820, but my LHT has bar-end shifters, which I think make a lot of sense, as I find that indexing shifters are "fiddly" regarding adjustments. With bar-ends, if things get out of whack, you can just go to friction mode and just keep riding.

I also like the abundance of braze-ons on the LHT - 3 bottle cages, a stud for a frame pump, mounts for two spare spokes, and a stud to hang the chain on when you have to fix a rear flat. Heck, it even has braze-ons for downtube shifters if you want to go with them.

I have my LHT set up as a road bike, with 700 x 28 high-pressure tires. Rides great, and I've climbed hills with it that Kicked my butt on my Trek 820. BTW, my LHT is a 60cm frame, and with two bottle cages and bottles, a frame pump, and a seat bag with tube, patch kit, tire tools, and a multi-tool it weighs right at about 25 lbs.

The Smokester

$1400AUD is too much for a used Trek 520.

Other than that, they are both superb touring bikes capable of taking you anywhere in the world.

StuckInMud

anotherdavid:

How did you manage to get one for $1,300.00AUD????

HardyWeinberg

Ah, I'd been wondering what that was for.


Boy, I think mine was pushing 35# when I checked it out on the bathroom scale. I can't remember what mine was wearing at the time (no water bottle for sure, but possibly headlight and battery), I have different tires (and wheels, I guess, 36 spoke 26", which I hope render the 2 extra spokes it came with in the frame spokeholders superfluous). Rack, fenders, it adds up... I better switch in some titanium crank bolts.

Highcyclist

I have no experience with the Trek, but I have to go with the crowd here and say Surly. I simply love my LHT!

anotherdavid

Local shop (Melbourne) had a display one at a reduced price. - happened to be my size.

I notice fatall mentioned they got one at that price too.. (also in Melbourne)

StuckInMud

Hi Fatall,

Can you tell me how you got your LHT for $1,300.00???

Bekologist

are LHT completes even available right now?

I own both, both are excellent bikes. LHT more upright, Trek, faster gearing.

i've kept up on my chain wear and cassettes, and still have had to replace the chainrings once already on my 2005 520; if the one you are looking at has not been manintained, you may be in for a new drivetrain cost as well....

fatall

Yeah, I got it from a Bike shop in Emerald, Warren's Sports & Recreation. Peter is easy guy to talk to about it.

I will PM you the phone number.

kipibenkipod

$1,400.00AUD is very high. It doesn't matter if he bought it for 2300 or 5000. Whats matters is how much you will spend on a new Trek 520 or its competitors (LHT) now. So if a new LHT is 1400, then the Trek should be sold 2nd handed for about half just to be competitive.
The question I always ask myself when buying 2nd hand is, if I buy now, will it sale now for the same price or more. Obviously if you will buy the trek, you will pay 1400 and need to add some stuff, so its a "No go, no go, yes, no go, tell him its a no go " (from Intolerable Cruelty - Coen brothers)

clipperton

dunno if this is gonna change all the opinions here in favour of the 520 but wasn't the maroon one the 520E - the aluminium frame one rather than the chromoly?

Bekologist

no.

StuckInMud

Thanks everyone for the feedback - especially everyone that stated how much they love their Surly LHT's.

I've just talked to the guy with the Trek 520 and he has stated that he will not sell the bike for less than $1,700.00AUD. I think his expectations are way too high. There is no way I would pay that much just to buy a Trek that was highly priced in the first place - $2,300.00 AUD for a bike that retails in the US for $1,100.00 USD.

I've made up my mind!!! I'm going to the LBS tomorrow to order a Surly LHT complete!!! Which should be delivered before the end of the month!!!

I can't wait......I've been longing for a touring bike for so long and now I'm going to get one that happens to be so incredibly fabulous...... Bring it onnnnnnnnn!!!!!

karmantra

Smart move! You won't be sorry! Just make sure you dial the frame size in correctly!

adrianlatrace

Ah man, the LHT is a good bike but comparing the stock "complete" build to a 520 is not so close in quality. The 520 although it may seemed overprice is actually going to be a much better built bike. They sell for $1100 US because cost on them is almost $700. The LHTs are built, packaged and ready to ship from Taiwan for about $450 to bike shops. Although every outsources now, the 520 is among only a few models that Trek still produces in Waterloo Wisconsin. So there's a lot more room for shops to make money on the LHTs vs the 520. I'm sure you'll be thrilled when the LHT shows up. Just make sure your next order is for your Brooks saddle!

duppie

I completely agree with that. I personally have an aversion against the 'Made in China' label. That why I bought a Surly LHT frame last week and had my LBS build it up for me.

Yes, the Surly frame is machine made in Taiwan, versus the (probably) machine made frame of the Trek 520 which is made in the USA, but bikes, more than any other type of consumer goods that I am aware of, are a collection of OEM parts. They are made all over the world.

As an example take the wheels that I saw on the sample Surly LHT in the LBS. The rims are French made (Mavic). the Hub is Japanese made (Shimano), The tires (Conti) are made in Germany (I believe, I have seen Conti's with made in Thailand, India, or Taiwan labels too), The tubes are most likley made in China or Taiwan. I don't know where the rim tape (unknown brand) or the spokes (DT Swiss) are made.

So instead of having some unknown American worker in Waterloo, Wisconsin make a bike for me, I had the mechanic in the LBS down the street build the bike. Talk about buying local...

I am not trying to ridicule your decsion to buy American, or be holier than thou by having my LBS build the bike for me. All I am saying is that a "made in country X" label doesn't tell the whole picture

Either that, or it is my way of justifying spending $1600 on a customized Surly where a Trek 520 or a complete build LHT would have worked just as well.
Duppie