Scored a newish Trek 520 for a song. Come check it out and suggest outlandish builds.

[stien]

Hey all. I saw this pop up on the local CL, I was just checking because it's ingrained in my DNA at this point.

Untitled by Them Twisties, on Flickr

It was too good a deal to pass up for what looked like a brand new bike with custom build. It turns out a guy in the next neighborhood was selling it. Literally 5 properties away.

Anyway it looks like it must have been a bike shop employee discount build from what I can see and the price he claims to have paid. Full steel frameset! Threaded bottom bracket! Green paint! (I have three green bikes now). High end Bonty RXL wheels, Schwalbe G One All-around tires, Rival/Apex 1x11 flat bar with some older Avid brakey-bits. Fabric saddle and 1x king cage to top it all off (I added the other two). The Nitto rack was on there but I zip tied the basket on. Size is labelled 57cm but it has a ~55cm top tube which is pretty ideal for me on a non-racing bike. A little tall but it doesn't matter.

I'm thinking it would be killer with drop bars on it and a wider range cassette but this bike just seems like it has so many possibilities. It has gobs and gobs of tire clearance and is actually pretty light. What would you do with it?

[charliedid]

Ride it.

[Tz779]

Well, I do not have a gravel bike, so....

[Spaghetti Legs]

With all those fender/rack eyelets and the triple bottle cage, that is prime for a long range touring and camping machine.

I have a grasp on Trek steel from the 80’s but I’m guessing that is 90’s or newer. Is Trek steel making steel frames? I’m a sucker for a green bike too but I only have one.

[Veloo]

[Big Dan]

Sweet..... Need to find something like that for my brother.

[velomateo]

Current build is sweet, but can totally see this with drop bars if the geometry works out for you.

[Frankwurst]

Originally Posted by charliedid

Ride it.

This.^ They are nice bikes.

[thirdgenbird]

I vote drop bars, trp brake levers and a microshift bar end mounted to the sifter boss as a downtube shifter.

[Peter P.]

Need a commuter-drop bars and fenders. Maybe lights.

An errand machine-I'd replace the swept bars with no-rise ATB bars, cut down in width, and add short bar ends.

In both cases I'd either go to a double chainring setup or a larger single ring with a wider cassette for simplicity.

That bike is definitely meant to be ridden and enjoyed; you scored a bargain and while it may have been an impulse purchase, it was a wise one.

[livesadventure]

I’d add fenders and call it a day. It’s a perfect basket bike set up this way


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[robt57]

Ride it, then ride it some more, then keep riding it.

Get a few sets of different 35-45mm tires and change them up depending on what you will be trekking it thru...

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by Spaghetti Legs

With all those fender/rack eyelets and the triple bottle cage, that is prime for a long range touring and camping machine.

I have a grasp on Trek steel from the 80’s but I’m guessing that is 90’s or newer. Is Trek steel making steel frames? I’m a sucker for a green bike too but I only have one.

It's a new current offering as a frameset.

[pelicanrando]

So good! I would run a couple straps from the basket to the bars, to add some support from the top. Fenders and smooth tires or no fenders and Thunder Burts. Half framebag and use it for short touring, cruising around town, after work burrito rides, etc.

Safety pizza is the cherry on top.

[coffeecherrypie]

Kind of depends what other bikes you have and what role you need this to fill. It's a very versatile bike. Seems well set-up as a city bike/commuter as is. Personally I would just add more capacity to carry groceries etc. Also a bigger front basket would be on point.