bmike

bounce the bike 5-10 times before you try to get it inside.
an old snowbrush works well to clean off caked chainstays and the bb area.

but i have a bike garage and workshop. (car stays outside!)
the crap melts and runs on the floor and i sweep the water out the door or run a fan and dehumidifier.
in the spring everything gets a good washing.

bmike

Thanks Vik.
It keeps morphing. Thats why I love the XC!

Doconabike

I have ridden a Trek 520 for many years and love it. Like other folks have mentioned though, I've found the front fork to have limited tire clearance. In order to fit my commuting 45mm tires, I had to grind away a bit of metal from the fork. (This is NOT recommended.) If you are considering fat tires for fire-trails and dirt roads, go for the Cross Check. If you don't plan on fat tires, the 520 is a great sturdy bike. (For my super bumpy dirt-road commute, I plan on eventually switching out my fork so I don't suffer the consequences of my grinding.)

NormanF

A Trek 520 is a good tourer but slow as a commuter. I chose the Schwinn Super Sport DBX for half the price. It does every thing I want it to do in a road bike - and more.

bmike

Is your fork cracked just below the weld on the left of the image? Or is that just paint?

Thems be some big tires on that bike!

woodenidol

Neither of those bikes sound that fun to me, The 520 and the LHT are nice but, for a less than two mile commute, I would spend alot less and get something a bit less purpose built. If you just ride it for your commute and the occasional weekend ride, you might be happier with something lighter, quicker. If you do fall in love with riding, you likely will change your mind on what you like, and wonder if the $1500 was worth it. Honestly componet wise, very few people actually wear things out, they just get bored and change out componets.

Then again, Im getting old and cheap. In my youth I wanted the newest and shinniest. After I got hit on my Trek 400 (very entry level road bike) I got my brand new, just came out Trek 2000. Nice bike, but I liked my 400 better and it was a third the cost when it was all done. The 2000 made people look, but other than that, for me, the value liekly wasnt there.

Not being a scrooge, but there are lots of bikes that may be cheaper and do the job as well, leaving you room for more equipment/clothes and the option of upgrading to something else once you really determine your riding wants and needs.

coffeecake

If you live in Canada, I would recommend looking at Jamis, Opus, or Rocky Mountain bikes. You get a lot more bike for that price. Surlys are a good deal, in the States. In Canada, not so much. I got a Rocky Mountain with better components and a 853 cro-mo frame for $400 less than what a LHT or Cross Check would cost. RM and Opus are also Canadian brands, although their frames are made in Asia.