cradduck

UPDATE (06/16/10): I actually went in a completely different direction. I was pretty well set on the idea of getting the Trek 520 and went to give it one last little test drive, go grab some lunch, and head back to buy the bike. Well, the place where I bought my lunch was in the same shopping mall as an REI and I kind of had a "duh" moment. It is one store that I did not even look at.

Well, I tried out the Randonee and was in love. I think I rode it around the parking lot for a solid 30 minutes and still didn't want to get off the bike. It just felt good...like warm blanket on a cold night kind of good. And although the Trek was a great bike and did fit well, I just didn't "settle" into the 520 like I did the with the Randonee.

The cool part is they actually had one of last years models in my size on sale for $799 which puts me under budget and leaves money left over for panniers and to do a few minor upgrades to the Bridgestone. The 2009 model also comes with a beefier rack and a few other components that are a little nicer than the 2010 models.
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I have been saving my money for quite some time and this is the week for making decisions. There are two roads I can travel for how I want to spend the money. I am kind of torn in which direction to go so I am hoping to get some insight and perspectives I might not have thought about. I have the money to go either road so I am not really looking for what is strictly cheaper, but what is going to working best over time to accomplish what I want.

I basically want to be able to continue my daily commute, but also start doing 1-3 night camping/touring trips to local campgrounds and do my first extended loaded tour in the Spring of next year riding down the coast of California (14-16 days total).

Option 1:
I currently have a 1986 Bridgestone 400 that has served me well as a daily commuter. It is kind of on the heavy side even for that era and the parts are dated but I have had little in the way of mechanical problems with it which I think is mainly do to the simplicity of the setup (Suntour AGX all around and dowtube friction shifters). I recently picked up a old 1983 Trek 520 for next to nothing but the bike is too big for me so I am thinking about taking the parts I like [bar end shifters, triple crankset, better quality brake levers, etc] off the bike and putting them on the Bridgestone. There are a few other things I was going to pick up as well to outfit the bike (brooks saddle, nicer quality shift/brake cables and housings).

The kicker for this bike is that it has no attachment points for a front or rear rack and only has one set of braze-ons for a water bottle. I have heard that attaching racks with p-clips doesn't always work great and are prone to slipping. The Bridgestone has a short-ish wheelbase and I am not sure how it would be as a loaded tourer but I have read reports of people doing this.

Before bags and racks my running total would be around $230 for everything I want to do.


Option 2:
Buy a new Trek 520. One of my LBS's is offering the bike to me for $1,039 if I buy their service plan (for $155) which covers parts and labor for everything except for tires, tubes, and bar tape for five years. So if I pop a spoke, bend a rim, or wear out a cassette/shifter/cable/brake pad or just need a tune up in the next five years I am completely covered for repair or replacement. I am not sure if it is just through that one LBS or good at any store that is contracted with Trek (which would be awesome for doing tours).

The bike shop offering me the deal is about 5 minutes away by bike or if I drive...or about 15 minutes if I walk so if there is ever a problem getting there from my house is not an issue. The bike also comes with a rear rack but I am not sure of the quality.

The X Factors:
The tinkerer part of me says upgrade. I have always taken a lot of pride in working on bikes and making things work for me and improving on what was once stock. The dad/career/family part of me says go for the new bike because you really don't have the time to tinker like you used to and having something that is worry/hassle free is going to pay off in the long run.

The Bridgestone is less of a theft risk. Rattlecan OD green paintjob, stickers, years of dirt, and a few rust spots...that bike looks pretty rugged. The Trek is, well, kinda pretty and classy looking.

CACycling

The obvious answer is: BOTH! Buy the new bike then use the parts from the other two to make the best backup/beater bike you can without spending much, if any, additional cash. Gives you the chance to satisfy your tinkering urge as you have time while still having an awesome bike to ride/commute/tour with.

TomT74

Buy the new 520. Keep the Bridgestone. Strip the old 520 and save the parts for keeping the Bridgestone running as your back-up foul weather commuter. It's always nice to have a backup handy and you can tinker with it all you want. You can always sell the old 520 frame and any parts you don't want to keep and use those funds to buy the Brooks.

The above advice is of course worth exactly what you paid for it.

khanom

If you are not sure how the Bridgestone would be as a loaded tourer, you should find out first. Also, are you comfortable on it for many hours in the saddle? Does it fit really well? In any case I think the bike is very much worth keeping as your commuting machine regardless.

Since the money is not really a factor, I suspect you will happier with the Trek... although personally I always recommend people look at (meaning ride) multiple bikes first and not make a hasty decision. Can't say I always follow my own advice, but I'm generally happier when I do That is a good price, though, if it's a 2010.

Edit: TomT74's "advice" makes no sense to me whatsoever.

TomT74

No magic in it: Keep the commuter. Buy the new 520 and use the old 520 for spares. We basically said the same thing, but I passed on telling him to test ride, assuming he'd done that already. Normally I'd blow this off, but your edit to include the gratuitous smart remark rather cheezed me off.

shouldberiding

Before spending $155 on an extended warranty service plan (which almost always are a waste of money) make sure it's worth it over what the standard (two year?) warranty will already cover.

Secondly, you said you're a tinkerer so why not learn how to fix the stuff yourself? Most things are very easy to do with a few basic tools.

I'd buy the new bike and over time amass some upgrade parts for the old bike on craigslist.

fender1

I recently made few changes to my 1986 Bridgestone 400 and like it very much. You need to find an old Jim Blackburn rack that attaches to the brake bolt (as in the picture) to avoid using p-clamps.

[IMG][/IMG

Here is an old Blackburn rack for the front that also mounts on the brake bolt, no P-clamps required:

[IMG][/IMG]

The new 520 is a nice bike and a great choice if you will be doing unsupported, long-distance touring. You could certainly use it to commute but it is a bit like driving an F-250 quad cab to the office everyday. The B-stone would do well w/ a wheel upgrade (700c) and a a brake upgrade (Tektro R538) I am able to run 32mm Paselas w/ fenders and no clearance or removal issues. Good luck whatever you choose!

khanom

Believe me TomT74, my remark was not very "smart" at all. I somehow read your post as "take the parts of the new 520", hence not making sense to me. But if you get "cheezed" off at such things, please remember it's teh internets. Bad reading comprehension goes with the territory.

TomT74

Ahh. Yes, stripping the new 520 would indeed make no sense. No harm, no foul. I'm guilty of misreading as well! And of sloppy typing a LOT, BTW.

cradduck

Both is the answer I like the most...HA! Even if I do get the new 520 I am not getting rid of the Bridgestone (ever)...I have too much fun with it.

cradduck

Could you clarify on how to go about trying the Bridgestone as a loaded tourer? I would like to try it out and have had around 20 pounds in my Carradice (with Bagman QR), but I don't know/think that is the same and being fully loaded for a tour.

The Bridgestone fits extremely well. Perhaps better than any other bike I have had in my stable and even with the el cheapo saddle currently on there. The engine wears out long before it gets uncomfortable. It is the reasoning behind the difficult decision to either put some money into the Bridgestone to take it where I want to go or to head off towards another bike.

I have now tried several bikes (LHT, Crosscheck, Raleigh Clubman, and one I can't remember the name of). All of the bikes have things I like about them, but the LHT and the 520 were the winners. LHT was one of the first I tried out, but is now out of stock just about everywhere....even online.

cradduck

1. I think that the guys working the sales floor make a serious cut off the warranty of the bike. The price he gave me was conditional of getting that warranty. I will be back there on Wednesday to try the bike again and see what kind of price he will give me without the warranty. I read through the entire warranty (ok, just the parts that mattered) after making the OP and the warranty is a little sketchy. They can deny the claim if something gets worn out because of sand. Well, I live on the coast, commute along the coast, plan to do my touring along the coast and there is plenty of sand and salty air to go around.

speaking of living on the coast we just had an earthquake as I wrote this!!! HAHAHA

2. I currently do fix, upgrade, repair everything myself...but setting the hi/low on a friction shifter and doing the occasional upgrade is fairly straight forward. Now if I could true/build wheels then i would really be in business.

cradduck

1. I think that the guys working the sales floor make a serious cut off the warranty of the bike. The price he gave me was conditional of getting that warranty. I will be back there on Wednesday to try the bike again and see what kind of price he will give me without the warranty. I read through the entire warranty (ok, just the parts that mattered) after making the OP and the warranty is a little sketchy. They can deny the claim if something gets worn out because of sand. Well, I live on the coast, commute along the coast, plan to do my touring along the coast and there is plenty of sand and salty air to go around.

speaking of living on the coast we just had an earthquake as I wrote this!!! HAHAHA

2. I currently do fix, upgrade, repair everything myself...but setting the hi/low on a friction shifter and doing the occasional upgrade is fairly straight forward. Now if I could true/build wheels then i would really be in business.

khanom

Put racks and panniers on it (you'll need those if you dont' have them already regardless of your choice) and go. The lack of braze-ons isn't too much of an obstacle. And a weekend tour will tell you a lot. You don't have to invest any money in upgrades to know how the bike handles with a load and where the problems might lie. Maybe you'll find it perfectly adequate, or maybe the load will reveal some fundamental weakness that rules it out as something you'd want to ride on a longer tour.

But it sounds like you've done the research you need already, so I wonder why not just go for it. You pretty much aren't going to go wrong with the Trek 520, or an LHT for that matter. I don't think there is any question that either will be "better" than the Bridgestone for loaded touring... as long as they really do fit you as well, or can be made to.

cradduck

I actually went in a completely different direction. I was pretty well set on the idea of getting the Trek 520 and went to give it one last little test drive, go grab some lunch, and head back to buy the bike. Well, the place where I bought my lunch was in the same shopping mall as an REI and I kind of had a "duh" moment. It is one store that I did not even look at.

Well, I tried out the Randonee and was in love. I think I rode it around the parking lot for a solid 30 minutes and still didn't want to get off the bike. It just felt good...like warm blanket on a cold night kind of good. And although the Trek was a great bike and did fit well, I just didn't "settle" into the 520 like I did the with the Randonee.

The cool part is they actually had one of last years models in my size on sale for $799 which puts me under budget and leaves money left over for panniers and to do a few minor upgrades to the Bridgestone. The 2009 model also comes with a beefier rack and a few other components that are a little nicer than the 2010 models.