totient | cross country: what bike to ride?

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cross country: what bike to ride?

I have two bikes right now.

One is the Ciocc, which is a 1991 restoration of a 1986 bike. Its lowest gear is a 42x21. Riding it on hilly training rides in New England is a stretch. It's not up to mountains, even without panniers. It's not able to take panniers, even if you somehow got a rack on it. And it needs some work on its frame much sooner than 3000 miles from now. Riding this across the country would be like driving a Model A across the country. People do it, but not without spending a whole lot of money along the way.

The other is the Cannondale, which I rode to Montreal and back last year. At that time I put it together according to an ease-of-maintenance philosophy which I no longer subscribe to. And even at the time it was clear that this was the last gasp for this bike. The front end is in bad shape and I did the last rebuild I was going to be able to do. The wheels are both in really bad condition. The drivetrain is nearly as old as the antique drivetrain on the Ciocc. About the only bright spots are the seat (which is the only seat I trust for multiday tours) and the lovely front brake.

So, I've been test riding bikes. I'm a little hard to fit, since my arms are so short. This makes a Surly not work for me -- nor a stock Gunnar or Waterford or really a whole lot of otherwise very, very nice touring bikes. I don't have time to have one custom built. There are some cyclocross bikes with short top tubes and long chainstays -- like the latest edition of the Bianchi Volpe -- and some of those have eyelets for front racks, too. There are some touring bikes that might more or less work, and I have plans to test ride some of those. And then...

And then there's the Trek 520. This was the first model Trek came out with, 30 years ago. They've updated it, but not in radical ways. On paper, the fit is perfect. I wasn't expecting to like the components, but then I test rode one. I love this bike's drivetrain. I love the handlebars. The bike as a whole is incredibly well behaved -- just the thing for a long tour. The brakes are grabby -- but I can put on the front brake from the Cannondale, and the matching rear brake that wouldn't fit on the Cannondale but will work here. It will need new fenders, and racks (I don't trust the rear rack it comes with), and I'll move the seat over too.

I haven't actually bought this bike, because I want to give the Volpe a chance. But every time I ride it I'm more convinced it is the bike for me.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Harris is listed as Rivendell dealer, but I have no clue if they have any you could ride or if they only do orders.

Best wishes on your on adventure.

Harris carries as full a stock of Rivendells (and their related stock-built brands) as you're likely to find on the east coast.

I rode some bikes there but the stock Rivendell geometry doesn't really work for me, and I don't have time to have one built. The closest they had to something that fit was the Long Haul Trucker, but I really don't like the way that rides, at least in the sizes that use 26" wheels.

Harris doesn't carry Trek but they're expecting a Volpe in soon, so I still might get a bike from them.

Edited 2011-05-27 04:27 (UTC)

Is your ape index so small that swapping out a shorter stem and shorter bars (front to back, not side to side) won't do it?

Why not just buy the Trek? Are there shortcomings? It's not a *cheap* bike, but for something like this is seems pretty damn inexpensive.

For this kind of tour I'd say that tried and true is definitely the way to go.
The Trek sounds like a winner if it feels that good to you!

A couple reviews I've read say you may want a lower gearing than the stock Trek comes with (~25" at the low end) for hardcore touring, but that's obviously up to the user. :)

These days the stock low gearing on a 520 is a bit under 22". That should suffice, since I'm not hauling a tent.

But every time I ride it I'm more convinced it is the bike for me.

That sounds like a pretty good case for the Trek. Obviously, giving another bike a chance is probably a good idea but it seems like if the bike fits and feels good without any modifications, than that might be the one to go with. I know you've already thought of this but it seems like having some time to get to really know the bike before setting out on a 3000 mile tour is also an important factor. Guess it might come down to when you might get a chance to try out the Volpe.

I have a short torso and arms, and my Crosscheck is right on the edge for me--- lately, I've been thinking of a shorter/higher stem as an adaptation for some reduced flexibility in the 10 years since I bought it, and I built it from the frame (no cutting of the fork, unless I've forgotten something I did to it.) I think it's worth checking whether the pre-built Crosscheck comes with its fork already cut down.

I've known people who've bought the Bianchi Volpe and loved it, but I'd trust it or the Trek 520 for what you're doing. Really, anything that's had its wheels broken in and retrued, with a recent tuneup and all needed parts replaced, ought to do fine.

Unsolicited gear suggestion: If you're willing to spend on a wheel upgrade, I'd recommend building a rear wheel with a ceramic braking surface. Rustem at Quad sold me a Mavic T520 ceramic rim before I left for my tour. I was a bit leery of the extra cost, but I built it into a rear wheel with my Deore LX hub which had already seen quite a bit of use. That wheel is *still* in good shape after ~4000 miles of fully loaded touring and 6 additional years of general-purpose commuting.

What are your plans for lighting? My experience was that having a generator hub came in handy for several different days when I either got a late start or wanted to avoid horrid heat. But I also found that it was easy to recharge electrical devices at campgrounds, usually on an AC outlet near an unused RV hookup. (Peeve: campground owners who want to charge a solo bike with a tent as if you're an air-conditioned RV with 6 adults.)

Good thought on the ceramic braking surface. The wheels on the Trek are OK, but they're just OK. That said, I probably won't change anything about the wheels unless I have a problem. I figure I can take an unplanned rest day just about anywhere and FedEx will take care of the fact that there's no bike shop nearby.

I have a gorgeous light, the B+M Ixon IQ Speed. It's battery, not generator, but the run time is like 8 hours. And it's bright enough to get me mistaken for a motorcycle when I'm using it.

Edited 2011-05-27 04:18 (UTC)

I don't know how REI's normal prices compare, but they have a 15%=off sale on bikes (http://www.rei.com/category/4500003_Bicycles") until the 30th.

They're also have a "20%-off one item" coupon until the 30th. You must be a member to take advantage of the sale (costs $20 for a lifetime membership), and the 20% doesn't apply to items already on sale.

I'm a member, and REI has not one but two bikes, both at good prices, that might be appropriate, with some modifications. But they don't stock them in stores; those particular bikes are effectively mail order only. That's a big chance to take on a bike that's not otherwise obviously a home run.

Edited 2011-05-27 04:23 (UTC)

I never realized you have short arms. (Mine are rather long.)

I got them from Dad. Robert's arms are also really short.

Now that I think about it, Dad does have short arms. And legs. Mom's aren't all that long, though (proportionally, not absolutely). I feel like I got a rather anomalous figure for someone in our family.

You may recall that I have a Bianchi Volpe that I rode across the country (a couple countries, in fact). If you want to give it an extended test drive, I'm not actually using it at the moment.

OTOH, I gave back the Trek 520, so that's not an option.

As promised elsewhere:

I've got two bikes you might be interested in borrowing/taking.

* My old touring/city bike, built from a trashpicked 1980s Fuji Saratoga frame. The drivetrain is in sad shape, and the wheels are too light for touring, but the rest of the bike is fine for a long tour. I'm on the edge of getting some new bike for my new commute, you'd be welcome to have all but the wheels.

* My blue Cannondale, which you've ridden. Its frame is almost exactly the same as your blue Cannondale This is in excellent shape but it also has light wheels. I find it a bit long in the top tube and you probably would too, but you're welcome to borrow it.

Also check out REI's Novara Verita, it's a light-touring bike that I found quite pleasant and a comfortable fit with a relatively short top tube, you may like it too. You might get away with its wheels for the not-camping ride you're doing. One serious demerit is its compact-double crankset.

But yeah, the Trek 520 looks like a good solid cross-country bike.

Here's another suggestion:
http://www.splinterbike.co.uk/

Fascinating! A Trek 520 was the bike *I* bought, thirty
years ago, in grad school! Back then they were about $500
(a lot of money back then for a grad student) but heck,
I've gotten my money out of the bike!

It was one of the first couple of years of Trek as a
factory bike (rather than a "mail us your measurements and
a thousand dollars and we'll mail you back a custom
made bicycle in a month or so"). So I bought one.

Mine was made in the old cheese factory in Wisconsin; I see
that they still have the building (I thought for a while
they did manufacturing in China; maybe that's a failed
economics experiment).

I still have my 30-year-old Trek 520, if you want to compare
on it. (N.B.: I did build it a set of new wheels, with
Campy hubs (because every bike needs _something_ from
Campignola), and I think I also changed the crank when
the crankshaft bearings died.)

Do you want to compare them sometime? :)

- Crash

Edited 2011-08-21 14:39 (UTC)

Trek currently makes some of their bikes in the US and some in Taiwan; the 520 is in the latter category. Which is a small minus in my bike, but not enough of one to keep me from buying what really did turn out to be exactly the right bike for my ride.

I'm not sure when the next time I'll get to ride out in your direction will be, but a comparison would be a lot of fun.

Oops! I went downstairs and checked, and what I have
is a 500, not a 520, but IIRC the difference between
the bikes back then was just the gruppo; the frames were
identical (I remember this because Rich Welty bought
a Trek at the same time and he got either the 520 or
the 530 and we spent a fair amount of time comparing
the glossy brochures, which seemed to indicate that a
5{0|2|3}0 differed only in what got bolted on.

At least, that's what an old memory says.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

cross country: what bike to ride?

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Trek 520! Great bike 30 years ago, probably still pretty good.

Re: Trek 520! Great bike 30 years ago, probably still pretty good.

Re: Trek 520! Great bike 30 years ago, probably still pretty good.