# Bikes Similar to Trek 520 & Trek Portland



## lx93 (Jun 14, 2007)

I'm looking for a road bike (can't get away from drop handlebars) w/ brazeons that I can put a rack & wheel clearance for fenders to commute w/ 10-25 lbs. of college textbooks, change of clothes, etc.

To save money, I'm considering going the used route. 

This is *NOT* intended to be a thread on what you think about fenders, suitability of road bikes vs. comfort bikes/mountain bikes for commuting, etc. :rolleyes5: 

So far, 2 designs that seem to fit the bill are the Trek 520 & Trek Portland. I don't want to limit myself to just those 2 options, so...

Any other suggestions?


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## empty_set (Nov 1, 2006)

lx93 said:


> I'm looking for a road bike (can't get away from drop handlebars) w/ brazeons that I can put a rack & wheel clearance for fenders to commute w/ 10-25 lbs. of college textbooks, change of clothes, etc.
> 
> To save money, I'm considering going the used route.
> 
> ...


Soma Double Cross
Surly Cross Check

Both have braze-ons for racks and have quite a bit of room for fenders. The Surly has horizontal drop outs whereas the Soma doesn't. The Soma has a slightly taller head tube. There might be some slight geometry differences.

I ride both; the Soma in a commuter configuration and the Surly in a fixed gear for dirt. I put anywhere between 200-300 miles a week on the Soma and find it perfectly suitable.


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## lx93 (Jun 14, 2007)

Empty,

Thanx for the reply.

I like the fact that they're steel frames. I doubt that carbon would handle the inevitable adventures of urban cycling.

What difference do the horizontal drop outs make? 

FYI, I'm not looking at a fixie at all, I like being able to sprint away from those yappy dogs.


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## empty_set (Nov 1, 2006)

lx93 said:


> Empty,
> 
> Thanx for the reply.
> 
> ...


The horizontal dropouts will allow you to run a single or fixed more easily. Either frame will allow gears with no problem.


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## Henry Chinaski (Feb 3, 2004)

I love my Surly Cross Check. Also check out the Bianchi Volpe.

http://www.bianchiusa.com/07_volpe.html


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## Barabaika (Jan 15, 2007)

lx93 said:


> Any other suggestions?


Probably, a cheap bike from bd.
This touring bike look promising:
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/tourist.htm


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## ethebull (May 30, 2007)

Soma Smoothie ES if you prefer caliper brakes over canti's


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Tough.*



lx93 said:


> ....This is *NOT* intended to be a thread on what you think about fenders, suitability of road bikes vs. comfort bikes/mountain bikes for commuting, etc. :rolleyes5: ...


I like 'em! 

I'd take the 520 over the Portland-the Portland is just a little to yuppified for my taste.

ComMUTter Man just built up a Salsa Casserole and it looks sweet, I have my good camera with me today so I'll be posting some pix later.


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## lx93 (Jun 14, 2007)

Barabaika said:


> Probably, a cheap bike from bd.
> This touring bike look promising:
> http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/tourist.htm



Barabaika,

That looks about like something I'd at least consider. But there's 1 thing that is probably going to be an issue on many other bikes like this- it has a triple, and I think I'd prefer a compact.

Forgetting the issue of what brand/material, etc., of crank, about how much would most LBS's charge to convert it over to a normal double crank? I don't think I'd consider a compact, as "elevation gain" around here (Virginia Beach) is measured in millimeters, not feet or even inches.


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## lx93 (Jun 14, 2007)

ethebull said:


> Soma Smoothie ES if you prefer caliper brakes over canti's


At the cost of belaying my ignorance, which one of these would disc brakes be? Canti is short for cantilever, right?


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## lx93 (Jun 14, 2007)

MB1 said:


> I like 'em!
> 
> I'd take the 520 over the Portland-the Portland is just a little to yuppified for my taste.
> 
> ComMUTter Man just built up a Salsa Casserole and it looks sweet, I have my good camera with me today so I'll be posting some pix later.


MB1,

That would be impression if buying new. But I'm guessing that a well-maintained Portland would be a better bargain than a brand-new, undepreciated 520.

In any case, I might be contacting you further for good bike shops to check out a used bike in the DC area so that I'd know what I'd be getting myself into. A used bike that needs $400 of repairs defeats the purpose of buying used instead of new.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Personally I prefer the Soma Smoothie or ES, or the Salsa Casseroll, over the Surly or a Trek 520, but your fit requirements could be different. Both the Surly and Trek have very short headtubes, which can be a problem if you prefer a higher handlebar height. The Soma and Salsa have headtubes that are considerably longer, but if you can handle a large drop from the saddle to the handlebar then the Surly or Trek are nice.


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## Barabaika (Jan 15, 2007)

lx93 said:


> Forgetting the issue of what brand/material, etc., of crank, about how much would most LBS's charge to convert it over to a normal double crank?


You are looking for a touring bike. All touring bikes come with a triple.

You need to change the crankset and the front derailleur (maybe the bottom bracket), and ajust the cable and derailleur in order to have a double setup. The installation charge depends on a bike shop: from $10 per component to who-knows-how-much. 

I looked at the specifications. The current crankset is 
TruVativ Touro Cold Forged Road, 30/*42/52T*
So, the big chain rings are almost the same as for a regular road crankset, the middle one is even faster. Just take off the granny if you don't need it.

Probably, you'll want to change the cassette as well because it's a wide range one.


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

The SOMA Smoothie ES takes long reach road brakes. Nashbar sells inexpensive versions. 
It provides more clearance for big tires and fenders than typical road brakes and frames but likely less than a cyclocross bike. Easier to adjust properly is one benefit of the caliper brake.

The cyclocross bikes (Double Cross, Cross Check) use cantilever brakes for more mud clearance. 

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-adjustment.html


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

The REI Novara Randonnee is very similar to the Trek 520, except cheaper.

http://www.rei.com/product/744804


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## lx93 (Jun 14, 2007)

robwh9 said:


> The REI Novara Randonnee is very similar to the Trek 520, except cheaper.
> 
> http://www.rei.com/product/744804


Plus, its frame color is coffee. 

So if I bought it, my "cardiovascular exercise serves no purpose" roommate could no longer accuse me of being a health nut. 

Seriously, it seems like what I'm looking for, & I had really good experiences w/ REI when I lived in Boston. Their staff were always knowledgeable.

But the nearest one to me now is 200 miles away in MB1-land (Northern VA).


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## mhinman (Mar 27, 2004)

I just got a Trek Portland about a week ago. I have 85 miles so far and am very happy with as a commuter. The stock fenders look good but are worthless and painful. I am riding a 60cm and my toes overlap the fender, well I found that if you trackstand at a light, you can get bottom edge of the fender jabbing into the top of your toe. I ordered some Freddy Fenders which should be in today. The brakes started out bad, but they have now seated themselves and are working very well. I have a rack on the back and it seems to take the light load (10-15 lbs) I have carried very well. Something to consider, it is not possible to put a rack on the front if you are thinking about some heavy touring, but other than that I give it a thumbs up.

One other thing, I upgraded the seatpost to a Bontrager Carbon Race X Lite ACC. The one that can with it had the splines for adjusting the angle, and I could not get the saddle at the angle I wanted.


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## lx93 (Jun 14, 2007)

mhinman said:


> I just got a Trek Portland about a week ago. I have 85 miles so far and am very happy with as a commuter.


What features made you decide on it instead of the 520? (besides aluminum frame vs. cro-moly)

Also, did you keep the triple on it, or switch to a compact or regular crank?


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## mhinman (Mar 27, 2004)

lx93 said:


> What features made you decide on it instead of the 520? (besides aluminum frame vs. cro-moly)
> 
> Also, did you keep the triple on it, or switch to a compact or regular crank?


I would have upgraded the 520 to STI or Ergo. The 520 comes with linear pull brakes, so those would have to be upgraded to cantilevers. The Portland required no upgrades and disc brakes seemed like a good idea for the rain. This put the two bikes at about the same price point, so I picked the Portland. 

I kept the Triple, we have some wicked hills around here.

Got the Freddy Fenders last night, and I have no toe overlap with them. I am still on the fence about the STI (it's my first pair), Campy Ergos seem to fit my big hands better.


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## lx93 (Jun 14, 2007)

mhinman said:


> The 520 comes with linear pull brakes, so those would have to be upgraded to cantilevers. The Portland required no upgrades and disc brakes seemed like a good idea for the rain.


You in the NW certainly do have some fierce hills out there- the Cascade Mt. Range makes for some of the best hiking in the U.S.

I can understand how disc brakes function, if they're the same as on a car.

But what makes cantilevers better than linear pulls? I live in a F-L-A-T area now, but eventually plan on moving to somewhere not so boring, and good brakes could very well save my life someday!


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## mhinman (Mar 27, 2004)

lx93 said:


> You in the NW certainly do have some fierce hills out there- the Cascade Mt. Range makes for some of the best hiking in the U.S.
> 
> I can understand how disc brakes function, if they're the same as on a car.
> 
> But what makes cantilevers better than linear pulls? I live in a F-L-A-T area now, but eventually plan on moving to somewhere not so boring, and good brakes could very well save my life someday!


Linear pull brakes (think mountain bike) need levers that pull about twice as much cable as road levers do. The 520 has road brake levers that act like mountain levers, so if you put try regular STI levers on, the brakes will not pull enough cable and the brakes will not work properly. Cantilever brakes are designed to work with road bike levers, which is why they are the brake of choice for cycle cross, at least until road discs became available in the last couple of years.


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