Trek 920 Disc vs Trek 520 Disc for touring? Help!

[sjlannoo]

I've narrowed the choices down for my next touring ride.  I had my wonderful late 80's Cannondale touring bike stolen and have taken my time thinking about the replacement.  I am a late 50's woman, in great shape, and want to revisit loaded touring again.  I'll use front and back racks and panniers.  Trek's 920 and 520 are the choices I'm considering; I'm unsure of hydraulic disc brakes (the 920) and not sure if I want to go that rugged.  Also, the 920 seems to have a pretty high front rack placement.  My question; has anyone toured on a Trek 920?  I see many many folks who have toured on 520s and love them.  Thank you for your help and comments, all!

[paddleboy17]

if your goal is off road touring then the TREK 920 might be the bike for you.  And if off road is where you want to go, then maybe you should also look at the SALSA FARGO.

As for plain old regular touring, I don't think I would want the burden of spinning around a set of 29" wheels.  There is just to much mass in those 2" wide tires for me.

If you are looking for other touring bikes, I think you should consider the SALSA MARRAKESH.  I think the MARRAKESH is a step up from the 520.  If you want other 520 like bikes to look at, then consider the SURLY LONG HAUL TRUCKER.

[rafisher14]

I own a Trek 920 which I love. I used it for a 3 day gravel tour (credit-card touring so not a heavy load) last fall! I haven't done a lot of touring in general though, mainly a lot of gravel rides around my home. A few weeks ago, I swapped out the 2" tires for 700x40 Clement MSO tires which are great.