They also feel pretty good on the road.Ĭlearances for up to 2.1in tyres on 650b wheels or 45mm on 700c mean you can tackle wilder terrain. Like all tyres of this ilk, they don’t shed claggy mud very well, but have plenty of grip on drier surfaces when run at lower pressures. The tread consists of nine rows of tightly packed knobs that get larger towards the shoulder. The plump 700x40c Bontrager GR1 tyres mounted to the 25mm wide (internal) Bontrager Paradigm Comp wheelset also contribute as much to the comfortable ride as any carbon wizardry. Nonetheless, despite the fork’s chunky blades and very broad crown, square-edged hits to the front wheel aren’t overly harsh. Trek dropped front IsoSpeed for this generation of the Checkpoint. It’s hard to quantify but, psychologically at least, the system helps reduce fatigue on rough climbs. This system helps take the sting out of bumps, particularly when seated. On the Checkpoint SL, this splits the seat tube from the top tube, allowing it to flex around a pivot. The key feature of the Checkpoint family is Trek’s IsoSpeed decoupler system. The IsoSpeed decoupler helps absorb the bumps. The rims are slightly narrower (21mm), but this will only matter if you run very wide tyres. If you can forgo electronic shifting, the Checkpoint’s SL 5’s Shimano GRX components won’t leave you wanting. ![]() Both upgrades together only drop a claimed 420g, but the 2x drivetrain will make this a better choice for most road riding. The finishing kit is all from in-house brand Bontrager, including the GR1 tyres.įor a little more, the Checkpoint SL 7 gets a SRAM Force groupset and Bontrager Aeolus wheels. However, when you consider it’s built up with SRAM’s rather weighty Rival AXS XPLR groupset in a 1x guise and chunky alloy gravel wheels, you’re not giving up much in terms of frame weight for a package that’s more versatile than many of its contemporaries. The top-tier SLR frame gets upscale 700 Series OCLV carbon for reduced weight, plus a seatmast with integrated IsoSpeed decoupler, compared to the SL’s conventional seatpost and seat tube-located IsoSpeed.Īt 9.47kg for my size 56cm bike, the mid-range Checkpoint SL 6 is no heavyweight, though that definitely doesn’t make it the lightest gravel bike out there. The SL is the second-tier frame, made from Trek’s 500 Series OCLV carbon fibre. ![]() The Checkpoint SL 6 sits in the middle of the new 2022 Trek Checkpoint SL range, updated with a refreshed geometry, clearance for 45mm tyres (on 700c wheels, or 2.1in tyres on 650b wheels) and the aforementioned mounting points.
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