Topics

1

Gear Talk / 2002 Trek 520 - NEW

« on: March 15, 2010, 02:42:54 pm »

Hi all!

I'm looking for my first road/touring bike after a few years of mountain biking and came across a "new" 2002 Trek 520 at one of the LBSs around here.  Apparently I'm the only 30" inseam aspiring tourist in the central Illinois area because this bike has never been out of the store.

A few quick questions I had for the experts:

1.  What should I expect to pay for this bike? 

They're asking $699 US, but I thought I could work the price down a bit further.

2.  What are the strengths/weaknesses of this bike? 

Since the bike is eight years old, I figured at least a few of you would have some real world experience on this bike.

3.  What should I expect to replace on this bike?

If a bike has sat for as long as this one, I assumed that I'd need new rubber.  Other than that, what technology is/was on this bike that I should reasonably expect to replace?  Shifters?  Chainrings?  Derailleurs?

Any assistance you could give would be a big help.  I'm sort of flying blind into the touring world, so I could use some sagely advice.  Thanks!

2

Gear Talk / Possible New Bike

« on: June 03, 2006, 11:04:22 pm »

Is anyone familiar at all with Fuji bikes?  I know that the have a touring bike that is pretty inexpensive that is supposed to be decent, but I'm looking at a different one.  My LBS has a Fuji Newest 4.0 for $389.00(list is $480.00).  It's a good looking bike, and it would be a heck of a lot better than what I'm currently riding.  I wondered if it would be up to the task of light touring.  For that price, I could almost afford to have it as a road bike only, but I'd like to be able to tour with it a bit.  

BTW-it has shifters that are on the frame instead of the bars(which keeps down the cost).  That's really the only glaring difference than some of the other bikes that I've been looking at(Giant OCR, Cannondale SR500, Trek Pilot 1.0)

Any help would be appreciated!!

3

Gear Talk / Questions about handlebars and trailers

« on: May 18, 2006, 03:01:38 pm »

Hello!

I'm a newbie here, and I searched around before I posted this topic, so I hope I'm not asking questions that have already been answered.

I am just getting back into bicycle riding, and touring is very appealing to me.  In shopping for a bike to ride daily and tour with(I am currently riding a Diamond Back mountain bike on the road), I've run across two things that I had concerns about.

The first concern are the drop bars that all touring bikes have.  I've never ridden a bike with drop bars, and I don't know that I'd feel comfortable riding them now.  I'd like to hear some pros(I've got enough cons in my head already) for using drop bars versus flat bars.

My second concern is that most people I speak to live and die by using bags on their tours.  I initially thought that I'd pull a trailer when I got into shape to tour.  This would(I believe) give me a little more flexibility in the bikes I'd have available to me.  I'd like to hear some pros and cons of trailers versus bags.

Thanks to anyone who'd like to give an eager new guy some insight!!

4

General Discussion / Self Supported Touring Schedule?

« on: June 07, 2006, 01:57:26 pm »

I was just curious how people planned/scheduled their tours when not going with a tour group.  I am a pretty organized person by nature, and I could forsee myself mapping out the whole trip with specific stopping points every day.  I just wondered if that's the way that most people do it.

Also, if you a regimen oriented person, like myslef, how many hours do you actually plan to be in the saddle a day?

One more question...Do most of you ride for a few hours in the morning(before the sun is most intense) and finish the ride in the early evening(before dark)?  That's kind of the way I had planned my days.  The only downfall would be that my rest period in between rides would have to be somewhere at least mildly interesting.

Thanks for anyone who can give some insight!!!