Not sure what he means by Trek not making a touring bike today since the Trek 520 is still in production. However, he may have a point about the adequacy of current touring bikes compared to European models from the 50s and 60s and into the 70s. Bikes built exclusively for touring from the ground up, use only the best parts to accomplish the task, nothing more, nothing less, lights and racks built specifically for that bike alone, not bolt on accessories. Needless to say these touring bikes were not made for the budget conscious shopper. Similar models from today would be Mariposa, Beckman, Gilles Berthoud, and maybe a few others. Bruce Gordon, Rivendell, etc. are not in the same league.
When I look at current touring bikes built and sold to the budget shopper, I see lots and lots of parts I would replace immediately. Not that there is anything wrong with the parts on the bike, but they are not chosen because they are the very best at accomplishing a task or the best at fitting me. The parts are chosen because they fit into a price point for the manufacturer. If you are looking at getting the best touring bike, you have to pick out everything individually based on your touring experiences. Or if you trust the shop, they could of course use their experience to outfit the bike.
But for most people, the budget touring bike made today works fine enough. Its best to tour on a less than ideal bike than to not tour at all. As already mentioned, the Trek 520 or Cannondale T800 bikes will work very well for most people with only minor modifications. After touring for years on these, then you can decide if you want to buy a different bike.
