I have this bike - even in the same color, “Cobra Blood.” Mine, however, was ordered, and I had to wait several weeks for it. I, therefore, got one of the first units of the run. It seems that when mine shipped, the new 105 hydro shifters and calipers were not yet available. So, my bike came with Ultegra parts instead. That was a nice surprise. The bike sure is pretty.
Seddie M. I’m sorry to have offended. It’s a great bike. That should be obvious from the specs. But if the Reply were all about me, I would discuss my higher-end bikes. I would also have reminded you that punctuation goes inside quotation marks. But I didn’t do that.
I am actually looking at this very bike to buy; my question is can I also race cx on it. I race cx for fitness and fun, I am not at the pointy end of the race.
Absolutely, this would work well for a CX race. Only "issue" is the bottom bracket will be lower so you may find you can't pedal through a leaned over corner on a CX course, but in reality, most riders are not anyway.
Maybe you could answer a question for me. In 2006 I bought a Trek road bike (women's) I had a triple gear ring up front. I love it. I live in mountain area. Does Trek still have that kind of gear ring on the front? Or is there something else now ? Someone stolen my bike years ago. And I want another road bike again. I all ready have a mountain bike. If you would answer my question I would really appreciate it . Thank you. Or any other brand bike. I have only owned Treks and Specialized.
I like 2 things about this bike, the adjustable rear dropout system and the ISO semi suspended rear. The rear of the bike is nice and compliant to the point that the front of the bike feels overly rigid. Trek seems to concentrate on one feature at a time so I would suspect them to add compliance to the fork/stem within the next year or two. I also think that a modern carbon gravel bike in this price range should not weigh more than 20lbs with pedals. Switch out the wheels and you can knock off at least a pound of rotating weight. The seat mast system trek has going on is just okay (probably required for ISO rear) and does not allow the use of a dropper post that some people swear by for more technical descending. Its a quality bike but, I feel, overly engineered in places and would leave me digging deeper in my wallet for an upgraded set of wheels to unlock its true potential.
Nice vid. James, do you know of any Mountain/Trail bike examples that have similiar tech to that Adjustable Dropout on this frame? Wouldn't it be great to be able to lengthen a dirt jump/small trail frame for a longer base to trail ride.
I am debating between the Checkpoint SL6. (the bike shop had a leftover demo they are willing to sell for $2,600), or the ALR5 and save the extra money for a computer. Or go with the Domane SL 5 Disc. The bike shop said I could fit a Schwalbe G-One Allround, aramid bead, 700x35c in the Domane but have very little tire clearance. I ride mostly on paved roads, but would like venture out on the gravel. Do you have any thoughts, I see you have both the domane and checkpoint.
The two bikes are pretty different, especially in fit. Depending on the tire you choose 32s are fine on the Domane, but they do get close with 35s. You should really be checking fit thought, very different. Domane has a taller stack and shorter reach.
David Eber Personally I would jump all over the Checkpoint SL6. That’s a price that can’t be beat. I couldn’t afford the $4000 price tag of the SL6 so I settled on the SL5. Even though the Domane SL5 was a more comfortable ride I wanted the wider tires that the Checkpoint could accommodate. The SL6 has better components (Ultegra vs 105’s, and the SL6 has carbon wheels). SL6 is 19.7 lbs. vs SL5 21.17 lbs.
I think a shock absorbing seatpost and a suspension stem would do a lot more than the frame design but it is elegant. In my experience Shimano 105 springs are a bit wimpy for gravel, SRAM products have more robust springs. After the manufacturer gets tired of this Frame design supporting that rubber Gizmo isn't going to be so easy, a conventional frame will last you until you're tired of it. Specialized put a spring in their head tube and I wouldn't buy it for the same reason. A Redshift Shockstop stem is transferable frame-to-frame. There are several excellent suspension seatpost on the market and some are quite light.
High level: Checkpoint- wider tires, more aggressive position, longer wheelbase/adjustable, lots of frame mounts, heavier. Domane - Endurance position, sportier on the road, focused on comfort, limited accessory mounts, lighter
@@Jamesthebikeguy That's a good looking bike. How do the carbon frames hold up over time? Do carbon frames have a life expectancy? I'm also not light, I'm about 240lb's.
Having spent some time on the Checkpoint, it is an amazing bike. I love the iso -speed and if you are going to run bags it is hard to beat the number of options you have on the trek.
@@CERVEZAslam Yes, Tough call indeed. Actually the Topstone 105 price is about $1750. If I buy from REI I get about 10% off which brings the price down even more. The SL5 is a great bike but then we are looking at double the price almost.
@@Jamesthebikeguy The gearing mostly. For some reason the industry doesn't seem to recognize that the great majority of bike riders don't race. They need to sell the bikes with gearing or at least offer an option for gearing for normal people. Maybe most of the money is spent on race bikes so that is why they cater almost completely to racers, I don't know. All I know is I have spent a lot of time convincing people who have given up riding bikes to try them with lower gears and... surprise, they enjoy riding. Even beginner bikes have large gears. I've seen so many inexpensive mtn bikes with bigger gears than expensive bikes but beginners NEED low gearing. The first touring bike I got in 1978 had gears for riding without a load but it was a touring bike, not a day racer. I had to put on much lower gearing to ride across the Rockies and Cascades with a load but first I almost blew out my knees before I learned.
@@Jamesthebikeguy You can easily find lighter carbon gravel bikes spec'd with Ultegra R8000 for 2/3th the price of this Trek. And those are surely crazy good bikes. Here you simply pay for the brand name and gimmicks. Don't get me wrong, I love this bike but the price is difficult to justify. I'd probably be able to put together better spec'd bike myself from separately bought parts and it's telling.
I thought the same thing before really looking at other bikes. So, I made a spreadsheet. Comparatively- Norco, Specialized and Salsa (and plenty of other brands) are equally if not higher priced than this bike for no more than what you get here. An All City Cosmic Stallion would be the only bike that could possibly convince me from going Cobra Blood Checkpoint. But then we're talking apples and oranges. I don't think you can find a 45mm clearance carbon frame with boatloads of mounts, full carbon fork, hydraulic 160mm disc, and 105 or better gravel bike for under 3 grand. A Warbird Tiagra is $2400!! The stranglehold isn't a gimmick, it's a horizontal dropout for thru-axle bikes. Brilliant.
Greg Day I just purchased the Cobra Red Checkpoint SL5 yesterday. I’ll end up replacing the seat but I think that I’ll be happy. Salsa has a recall on their Warbird forks so I couldn’t even test ride it. I couldn’t find a Specialized Diverge Sport to try. It’s no wonder why pretty much everybody in my riding group has a Trek. There are plenty of Trek shops around) or shops that also carry the Trek brand) that between the four shops in the area I was able to ride the Checkpoint SL5, SL6, and Women’s Al5, SL5, and the Women’s Domane SL5. While I loved the Domane I wanted the mounting options and wider tires that the Checkpoint offered. Due to price I went with the Checkpoint SL5 instead of the SL6.
@@Jamesthebikeguy i think he was wondering that because its not a threaded bracket.. it may not be as durable in the long run, or could cause some creaking after some time? What are your thoughts and experience with this?
No one mentions this in their reviews but it does also have the underrated iso core carbon handlebar that mutes a lot of chatter. I had one on a demo that was beautiful without having to worry about a shock going out
@@CERVEZAslam Sort of it has the Bontrager RL IsoZone VR-CF handlebar (Isocore is a carbon bar). But yes the Isozone bar has some decent shock absorption.
I've had this bike, 2019 model, for a little;e over a year and I can't think of anything I don't like about it!
Awesome 👍
I have this bike - even in the same color, “Cobra Blood.” Mine, however, was ordered, and I had to wait several weeks for it. I, therefore, got one of the first units of the run.
It seems that when mine shipped, the new 105 hydro shifters and calipers were not yet available. So, my bike came with Ultegra parts instead. That was a nice surprise.
The bike sure is pretty.
Sounds like a nice surprise. Sweet ride!
Your reply seems "selfish and all about you". So, is it a good ride or just something "pretty" to look at? No selling points given.
Seddie M. I’m sorry to have offended.
It’s a great bike. That should be obvious from the specs. But if the Reply were all about me, I would discuss my higher-end bikes. I would also have reminded you that punctuation goes inside quotation marks. But I didn’t do that.
Steve King Not so far.
Very thorough overview of its features. Trek should pay you for this! :)
Thanks, I think i'd have to step up my quality game before they come paying!
I am actually looking at this very bike to buy; my question is can I also race cx on it. I race cx for fitness and fun, I am not at the pointy end of the race.
Absolutely, this would work well for a CX race. Only "issue" is the bottom bracket will be lower so you may find you can't pedal through a leaned over corner on a CX course, but in reality, most riders are not anyway.
@@Jamesthebikeguy thanks for the response!
I have a 2015 Boone 7 with only 500 miles on it i will sell you. Have to sell it to get this bike
Great walk around. They said if I ordered one now I would see it in 2022...
Keep looking around. Lots of dealers have bikes, not necessarily all of them. So call around and you will find one
Maybe you could answer a question for me. In 2006 I bought a Trek road bike (women's) I had a triple gear ring up front. I love it. I live in mountain area. Does Trek still have that kind of gear ring on the front? Or is there something else now ? Someone stolen my bike years ago. And I want another road bike again. I all ready have a mountain bike. If you would answer my question I would really appreciate it . Thank you. Or any other brand bike. I have only owned Treks and Specialized.
Great video, James. Possible revised ending graphic: 21.3 lb (9.66 kg) 54 cm frame (w/o pedals)
Most accurate weights are w/o pedals considering both this bike does not come with them, nor can I account for all the different types of pedals.
Awesome bike. That would be a nice replacement for my CAADX 105.
Sure would, heck of a good bike.
You missed all the optional mounting points for racks etc. This would make a great adventure road bike.
Sure would.
I like 2 things about this bike, the adjustable rear dropout system and the ISO semi suspended rear. The rear of the bike is nice and compliant to the point that the front of the bike feels overly rigid. Trek seems to concentrate on one feature at a time so I would suspect them to add compliance to the fork/stem within the next year or two. I also think that a modern carbon gravel bike in this price range should not weigh more than 20lbs with pedals. Switch out the wheels and you can knock off at least a pound of rotating weight. The seat mast system trek has going on is just okay (probably required for ISO rear) and does not allow the use of a dropper post that some people swear by for more technical descending. Its a quality bike but, I feel, overly engineered in places and would leave me digging deeper in my wallet for an upgraded set of wheels to unlock its true potential.
Wide tire clearance, adjustable geo, and the isospeed make sense for the weight and cost.
Nice vid.
James, do you know of any Mountain/Trail bike examples that have similiar tech to that Adjustable Dropout on this frame?
Wouldn't it be great to be able to lengthen a dirt jump/small trail frame for a longer base to trail ride.
Santa Cruz Chameleon, Trek Superfly HT, Kona Explosif, likely many more.
Trek Stache
I am debating between the Checkpoint SL6. (the bike shop had a leftover demo they are willing to sell for $2,600), or the ALR5 and save the extra money for a computer. Or go with the Domane SL 5 Disc. The bike shop said I could fit a Schwalbe G-One Allround, aramid bead, 700x35c in the Domane but have very little tire clearance. I ride mostly on paved roads, but would like venture out on the gravel. Do you have any thoughts, I see you have both the domane and checkpoint.
The two bikes are pretty different, especially in fit. Depending on the tire you choose 32s are fine on the Domane, but they do get close with 35s.
You should really be checking fit thought, very different. Domane has a taller stack and shorter reach.
David Eber Personally I would jump all over the Checkpoint SL6. That’s a price that can’t be beat. I couldn’t afford the $4000 price tag of the SL6 so I settled on the SL5. Even though the Domane SL5 was a more comfortable ride I wanted the wider tires that the Checkpoint could accommodate.
The SL6 has better components (Ultegra vs 105’s, and the SL6 has carbon wheels). SL6 is 19.7 lbs. vs SL5 21.17 lbs.
MsRotorwings I really wanted the SL6. But the SL6 was actually a size smaller than I needed. I went with the SL5.
David Eber Congratulations on getting a new bike. I just purchased mine on Saturday. I can’t wait to get out and ride.
I think a shock absorbing seatpost and a suspension stem would do a lot more than the frame design but it is elegant. In my experience Shimano 105 springs are a bit wimpy for gravel, SRAM products have more robust springs. After the manufacturer gets tired of this Frame design supporting that rubber Gizmo isn't going to be so easy, a conventional frame will last you until you're tired of it. Specialized put a spring in their head tube and I wouldn't buy it for the same reason. A Redshift Shockstop stem is transferable frame-to-frame. There are several excellent suspension seatpost on the market and some are quite light.
Thanks for the review!
My pleasure! Thanks for watching!
Whats the difference of this and the domane? Great info by the way!
High level: Checkpoint- wider tires, more aggressive position, longer wheelbase/adjustable, lots of frame mounts, heavier.
Domane - Endurance position, sportier on the road, focused on comfort, limited accessory mounts, lighter
Did they make any upgrades/changes to the same bike in 2020? Or are the specs the same?
Some minor changes. Frame is the same
@@Jamesthebikeguy
That's a good looking bike. How do the carbon frames hold up over time? Do carbon frames have a life expectancy? I'm also not light, I'm about 240lb's.
Well done James. You said you have the 54", how tall are you if you don't mind me asking as I'm also trying to find the right fit.
5'8"
Very nice and good job 👍
Thanks!
Nice bike! Good review of this bike
Thanks, pretty sweet bike!
Would this bike be any better than a 920? For touring and long distance riding of course
Depends on how much you are carrying and your daily goals.
Trek Checkpoint SL5 or Cannondale Topstone 105 ...Yes one is carbon but is it worth the extra $$$. Let me know your thoughts for gravel riding.
Having spent some time on the Checkpoint, it is an amazing bike. I love the iso -speed and if you are going to run bags it is hard to beat the number of options you have on the trek.
Topstone is a kg heavier for 400 dollars less. And its aluminum. Tough call
@@CERVEZAslam Yes, Tough call indeed. Actually the Topstone 105 price is about $1750. If I buy from REI I get about 10% off which brings the price down even more. The SL5 is a great bike but then we are looking at double the price almost.
I’ve seen the Topstone in person. It’s built like a heavy low end bike.
🤩 amazing
Agreed.
Any fender mounts?
Yes, watch the video
@@Jamesthebikeguy It was not talked about in this video
What’s a good bike website to get a good deal
Your local bike shop!
Heavier than I thought it would be.
I suppose, decent in my opinion for a gravelbike. A nice set of wheels would go along ways in lowering the overall weight.
I want one.
Get it!
Is there Isospeed in the front?
Big tires up front instead.
what’s up with that seat post?
What do you mean?
Jamesthebikeguy why does it get fatter as it goes up? is it a suspension system? You would think a thinner seat post would flex more for compliance.
Very nice
Yes indeed!
Looks great for people who race bikes. I wish they would make bikes for the rest of us.
What makes this a racer only bike?
@@Jamesthebikeguy The gearing mostly. For some reason the industry doesn't seem to recognize that the great majority of bike riders don't race. They need to sell the bikes with gearing or at least offer an option for gearing for normal people. Maybe most of the money is spent on race bikes so that is why they cater almost completely to racers, I don't know. All I know is I have spent a lot of time convincing people who have given up riding bikes to try them with lower gears and... surprise, they enjoy riding. Even beginner bikes have large gears. I've seen so many inexpensive mtn bikes with bigger gears than expensive bikes but beginners NEED low gearing. The first touring bike I got in 1978 had gears for riding without a load but it was a touring bike, not a day racer. I had to put on much lower gearing to ride across the Rockies and Cascades with a load but first I almost blew out my knees before I learned.
Did you find this bike to run big?
Compared to the Domane, the Reach is longer and the stack is shorter.
good job
Thanks for watching!
Too bad they don't mention this colour on their website... would have been nicer to have than the boring grey.
Cobra Blood is this bike's color
@@Jamesthebikeguy Looks like they don't sell it in Italy. I liked it.
Everything about this bike is great. Except the price of course, it's Trek after all :,)
I thought the price seems reasonable for what you get. Sometimes I guess you pay to have a good bike.
@@Jamesthebikeguy You can easily find lighter carbon gravel bikes spec'd with Ultegra R8000 for 2/3th the price of this Trek. And those are surely crazy good bikes. Here you simply pay for the brand name and gimmicks. Don't get me wrong, I love this bike but the price is difficult to justify. I'd probably be able to put together better spec'd bike myself from separately bought parts and it's telling.
michwoz Lighter, cheaper gravel bikes with Ultegra? Who makes them? I’m looking but can’t find any.
I thought the same thing before really looking at other bikes. So, I made a spreadsheet. Comparatively- Norco, Specialized and Salsa (and plenty of other brands) are equally if not higher priced than this bike for no more than what you get here. An All City Cosmic Stallion would be the only bike that could possibly convince me from going Cobra Blood Checkpoint. But then we're talking apples and oranges. I don't think you can find a 45mm clearance carbon frame with boatloads of mounts, full carbon fork, hydraulic 160mm disc, and 105 or better gravel bike for under 3 grand. A Warbird Tiagra is $2400!!
The stranglehold isn't a gimmick, it's a horizontal dropout for thru-axle bikes. Brilliant.
Greg Day I just purchased the Cobra Red Checkpoint SL5 yesterday. I’ll end up replacing the seat but I think that I’ll be happy.
Salsa has a recall on their Warbird forks so I couldn’t even test ride it. I couldn’t find a Specialized Diverge Sport to try.
It’s no wonder why pretty much everybody in my riding group has a Trek. There are plenty of Trek shops around) or shops that also carry the Trek brand) that between the four shops in the area I was able to ride the Checkpoint SL5, SL6, and Women’s Al5, SL5, and the Women’s Domane SL5.
While I loved the Domane I wanted the mounting options and wider tires that the Checkpoint offered. Due to price I went with the Checkpoint SL5 instead of the SL6.
What should be indian price
Check with your local bike shop
Hi what's your height?
You can check their sizing chart here: www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/sizing/
Price ?
Stop by your local bike shop
@@Jamesthebikeguy LBS too expensive...I don't mind supporting but they are not always the cheapest.
21.3 pounds - you should also mention kilograms...? That's about 9.6kg, I looked it up...
Looks like you got it on your own... Good work!
I was also disappointed.
9.6 kg - you should also mention stones...? That's about 1.521429 stone, I looked it up...
Press fit Bottom Bracket.
Good eye?
@@Jamesthebikeguy i think he was wondering that because its not a threaded bracket.. it may not be as durable in the long run, or could cause some creaking after some time? What are your thoughts and experience with this?
Include kilograms please save most of us for conversion )
I wish my primary school taught me the metric system.
google the lbs weigth and you'll get the kg conversion.
@@Zeben84 sigh ,,,,
Metric rocks....
@@Zeben84 this is America. Google the kg's yourself
didn't put iso on the front? serious lame trek! !
I hear you, sweet bike though.
No one mentions this in their reviews but it does also have the underrated iso core carbon handlebar that mutes a lot of chatter. I had one on a demo that was beautiful without having to worry about a shock going out
@@CERVEZAslam Sort of it has the Bontrager RL IsoZone VR-CF handlebar (Isocore is a carbon bar). But yes the Isozone bar has some decent shock absorption.
My RALIEGH WILLARD 4 will beat that trek any day
You are mistaken