trek checkpoint sl6 nz

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TREK CHECKPOINT SL 6 eTAP

It's right for you if....

You have big gravel dreams, and know you'll need the most dialled, capable bike for these epic adventures. You also want the incredible speed, precision and clean looks of SRAM's newest wireless electronic drivetrain.

The tech you get

A 500 Series OCLV Carbon frame with Rear IsoSpeed and carbon armour, a progressive geometry that's stable at speed and efficient when you're grinding up a climb, internal storage, hidden cables that won't interfere with bags, integrated frame bag mounts and rack and mudguard mounts. Plus, a carbon fork, a 1x12 SRAM Rival eTap AXS wireless electronic drivetrain with a wide-range cassette and Paradigm Comp 25 wheels. You can even run a dropper post to get low on long descents. Fits up to 45 c tyres.

The final word

A carbon gravel bike built for the longest days, roughest roads and biggest adventures. It's light, fast, comfortable and spec'd with high-end parts that perform even in the most rugged terrain, like an advanced wireless electronic drivetrain for lightning-fast shifts (even under load) and less maintenance.

The Walkthrough

favorite_border Why you'll love it

• The SRAM Rival eTap AXS wireless drivetrain won’t leave a hole in your wallet, and you can fully customise your shift logic using the AXS app
• The IsoSpeed decoupler soaks up fatiguing bumps without bouncing you around
• All-new progressive geometry is quick and nimble yet keeps you stable and in control on fast, choppy descents
• A sleek internal storage compartment gives you a versatile spot to stow tools and gear
• Massive tyre clearance means you can use tyres up to 45 c for extra traction and stability in any conditions

Free delivery on orders over $150

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301 Queen Street Richmond New Zealand

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Trek Checkpoint SL6 eTap long-term review: Simple done brilliantly

The trek checkpoint is the only bike you need to take you on every adventure.

Cyclingnews Verdict

If you can only have one bike, the Trek Checkpoint SL6 eTap is a serious contender. It’s the kind of bike that just works. You can upgrade it if you want to but you don’t need to. There are mounts for mudguards and bags, and with only a tyre change it will transition from a comfortable road bike to a capable off-road partner.

SRAM Rival AXS is the perfect groupset for an all-arounder

Mud-guard mounts

Mounting points for every bag you can think of

Non-proprietary seat-post provides options

Internal storage is convenient

Downtube protection eases worry

Threaded bottom bracket

Ideal all-around gearing

Short stem for added stability means handlebar/knee interference

Lacks included protection for the chain stay

Detail behind the fork steerer collects water and is difficult to clean

You can trust Cyclingnews Our experts spend countless hours testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

There's a cadre of people who get really far out into adventure riding that it's basically a small step away from needing a mountain bike. There are also lots of people who want the absolute fastest road bike available. Those ends of the spectrum don't represent the vast majority of riders though. Most people have a lot less focus and need a good, versatile bike that just works. We included the Trek Checkpoint on our list of the best gravel bikes available because that's exactly what you get, a bike that just works. 

The Trek Checkpoint is a bike that I have held onto for close to a year. It carried me across thousands of miles and all kinds of weather. I've had adventures on and off the road and I've put the bike to the test in every type of riding I could think of. After all this time, I'm ready to discuss the experience, what I like about it and where it falls short. If you've been considering a new gravel bike keep reading to see if the Trek Checkpoint is the right choice for you.

Design and aesthetics 

In many ways the Trek Checkpoint is a fairly uncomplicated design. The biggest standout design feature is the rear IsoSpeed decoupler system but even that piece, at least in the SL, sticks to the less complicated version. Trek refers to this version as the "seat tube IsoSpeed" and it refers, as expected, to the seat tube alone. There's no adjustment, nothing to think about, and just an isolation of the seat tube from the structure of the top tube and the seat stays. The end result is a passive suspension design that relies on flex in the 500 series OCLV carbon. 

To further exaggerate the effect, there's a prominent cutout near the bottom of the seat tube. The cutout doesn't reroute the tube for better aerodynamics but instead narrows the tube. The narrow point becomes the fulcrum and the rest of the tube has room to move around. If you want to add even more passive suspension, the non-proprietary round seat post means there's plenty of opportunity to take advantage of aftermarket seatposts. Something like the Ergon CF Allroad Pro Carbon seat post is an easy swap, further emphasising how uncomplicated the design of the Checkpoint is. 

There are a few other smart little design features as well. Details that continue to keep it simple but functional like the in-frame storage. Behind the water bottle mounts on the downtube is a lever that opens up a space at least as big as your typical flat repair kit. There's a bag that makes sure anything in the space doesn't rattle and the back of the door has room for the Bontrager Bits Multi-tool. 

On the other side of the down tube is where you'll find the carbon armour. This amounts to plastic cladding permanently attached to the lower section of the downtube. It's once again simple but important. Unfortunately, there's no matching armour on the rear chain stay but what you will find is a water bottle mount in the carbon armour. 

The under-the-downtube water bottle mount is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mounting points. There are two standard water bottle mounts, that one under the downtube, and an extra three mounting points higher up the downtube. If you aren't running frame bags that's room for an extra water bottle but there are also three mounting points under the top tube. The Bontrager adventure frame pack, on our list of the best bikepacking bags , will attach to the frame without straps using these mounting points. That still leaves an extra pair of mounting points on the upper portion of the top tube for a bolt-on top tube pack. 

The SL version of the Trek Checkpoints goes even farther with mounting options. While the SLR build gets the lighter 700 series OCLV carbon it also does with "only" the fourteen frame mounting points. Sticking to the SL models means there are also three extra mounting points on each side of the fork. Both models also have the option of fitting real mudguards and the Bontrager NCS Alloy Fender Set is one of best out there although there are also other options on our list of the best mudguards . 

Like the design features, the aesthetics of the Checkpoint differ a bit throughout the lineup. The top-shelf SLR 6, 7, and 9 are where you'll find the most colour options while lower down the line the ALR and SL models have only one or two colours depending on the specific build. In the case of the SL 6 eTap here, the only colour available is a deep red Crimson/Carbon Red Smoke that dips the bulk of the frame in a rich high-gloss blood red. There are metallic flakes throughout and a geometric pattern at the downtube and forks with a few details in a darker smoked red. 

The Trek Checkpoint lineup is extensive to the point of confusion. Right now, there are 12 different models listed with three frames serving as the building blocks. Serving as the entry-level models, the aluminium ALR frameset gives less expensive options with two builds before moving up to the carbon SL models. All using the same 500 series OCLV carbon, the SL models have three builds. These are less expensive than the SLR models but also focused more squarely on bikepacking with additional fork mounts. At the top of the lineup, the four SLR models switch to the lighter 700 series OCLV carbon and they also lose the fork mounting points. 

The SL 6 eTap that we spent our time with represents a middle-of-the-lineup option and costs less than half the price of the top model. The groupset is SRAM Rival AXS with 12 gears across a 10-44 cassette and a 40-tooth front crankset. The frame works with 1x or 2x but if you want a front derailleur you'll have to decide if you'd prefer to move up or down. Down drops to 11-speed GRX while up gets SRAM Force AXS Wide but also packages carbon wheels and represents a significant price jump. 

Instead of the carbon wheels on the more expensive SL 7 eTap, the 6 comes with the alloy Bontrager Paradigm Comp wheelset. While not a particularly high-end wheel these check all the boxes with a centre lock disc interface, 25mm internal width, and tubeless compatibility. Thru axles are standard bolt-through in 12x142 and 12x100 and the included tyres are Bontrager GR1 Team issue in a conservative 700x40mm width. There is space for up to a 45mm tyre if you find yourself looking for more off-road capability. 

For the touchpoints, expect Bontrager pieces. The saddle is a short nose Bontrager Verse Comp with steel rails and it's supported by is a 27.2mm carbon piece also from Bontrager. At the front of the bike the bars are the rather unique Bontrager Elite Gravel bars that we feature in our best gravel handlebars list. They have an integrated foam padding to help ease the rough roads and come paired with a shorter than standard Bontrager alloy stem.  

Performance

As a journalist who writes about cycling technology, I have an attraction to exotic tech in bikes. The new Trek Madone with a chunk missing from the seatpost sounds interesting. Or, if we are talking gravel, maybe a single-sided Lefty suspension fork like the Cannondale Topstone I previously spent time on. The wilder the better for me both because of my job and because that's my personality. 

The problem is that those kinds of bikes can be difficult to live with. The higher the integration and the more proprietary the pieces, the bigger the challenge. For example, the Lefty fork is amazing at what it does but if I want to drive to a ride with a friend I have to ask what kind of rack they have. If it's a fork-mounted version, then it won't work for me.

Then there's the Trek Checkpoint SL 6 eTap and its distinct lack of fancy technology. On paper, it's almost a boring bike but when people ask me for a bike recommendation, it's often my go-to choice. There are mounts everywhere, including for mudguards and it will do whatever you ask of it. I got the Checkpoint, added Garmin power pedals and swapped the saddle to an Ergon SR Allroad Core Pro, and proceeded to ride it for thousands of miles without ever having an issue. When winter hit, I added mudguards and rode through the winter spending seven hours at a time in constant rain every weekend. I never once had to mess with seat post issues or creaky bearings, everything just worked. 

I changed wheels and handlebars because I was testing things but the stock pieces were fine. The groupset in particular is a highlight and has become my gold standard example of why 1x12 might make sense for everyone. Rival has worked flawlessly and while 11-speed 1x gearing occasionally leaves me searching for gears, 1x12 has everything I need. The 40-tooth front and 44 rear works for climbing on loose surfaces, even with a loaded bike, but has plenty of gearing for road riding too. Every now and then I spin out when descending and chasing someone but it's rare and I prefer to have the climbing gears. 

When asked, I tell people you can walk out of the store with an SL 6 eTap and there's nothing you need to swap. The wheels aren't light, or fancy, but they work just fine. Same with everything else except the stem. One of the headline details about the Trek Checkpoint is the geometry that uses a short stem and a long wheelbase and right away I found it annoying. I swapped to the Trek RSL stem in a 100mm length as soon as possible. I noticed no lack of stability but I did stop banging my knees on every hill. 

Other than the stem, the Checkpoint has never left me asking for more. During the winter I would come home freezing and drenched with a bike caked in mud. I didn't wash the bike and at one point the brakes only alerted me to an issue when the pads ground down to the metal backing. Despite the lack of maintenance the groupset, wheels, and frame haven't needed anything. If I want to go bikepacking, I will never need to get creative with mounting. If I want to use the Checkpoint as a road bike, a tyre swap will have it ready to go. 

There are bikes that excel at a particular thing. You can get as specialised as you want in whatever area appeals to you and you can collect a quiver of bikes that you choose between depending on what's on the menu that day. Or you could get a bike like the Trek Checkpoint SL 6 eTap that just works no matter what you want to do. 

The Checkpoint might be a gravel bike but that's far from all it offers. Swap to a 28 or 30mm tyre for road riding and it's perfectly capable of keeping up with whatever group you want to ride with. If a summer gravel race catches your eye, swap on a 40mm tyre and only your legs will keep you off the podium. For a more relaxed pace bikepacking weekend, a 45mm tire might be a good option and you can load up all the mounts with every bag you can think of.

The only real question is which of the many build options makes sense. The SLR frameset is lighter but it's also a lot more expensive and it lacks mounting points on the fork. The SL 5 build gets you all the mounting points at a lower price but it’s also an 11-speed mechanical build with narrower wheels. If you are looking to save money look to the aluminium frameset options and if you've got a bit more money to invest, the Trek Checkpoint SL 6 eTap represents a do it all bike that balances price and performance. 

Logbook: Trek Checkpoint SL6 eTap

• Temperature: .5-38 degrees C / 33-100 degrees F
• Weather: Anything you can ride in
• Road surface: paved roads, unpaved roads, and double track 
• Rides: many
• Mileage: 2778km / 1726 miles

Tech Specs: Trek Checkpoint SL6 eTap

• Price: £4,000.00 / $4,499.99 / €4,449.00 / $5699.99 AUS
• Frame: 500 Series OCLV Carbon, IsoSpeed, internal cable routing, downtube storage door, 3S chain keeper, T47 BB, rack and fender/mudguard mounts, integrated frame bag mounts, flat mount disc, dropper post compatible, 142x12mm thru axle
• Weight: 9.05 kg / 19.96 lbs claimed for size 56
• Groupset: SRAM RIVAL XPLR AXS
• Crankset: SRAM Rival XPLR crank; 40T
• Cassette: SRAM Rival XPLR 10-44T
• Wheels: Bontrager Paradigm Comp 25, Tubeless Ready, 25mm rim width
• Handlebar: Bontrager Elite Gravel, 42cm width
• Stem: Bontrager Pro, 31.8mm, Blendr compatible, 7 degree, 80mm length
• Seatpost: Bontrager carbon, 27.2mm, 8mm offset, 330mm length
• Saddle: Bontrager P3 Verse Comp, steel rails, 145mm width
• Tyres: Bontrager GR1 Team Issue, Tubeless Ready, 700x40c
• Max tire size: 700x45c / 650x2.1"

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Josh hails from the Pacific Northwest of the United States but would prefer riding through the desert than the rain. He will happily talk for hours about the minutiae of cycling tech but also has an understanding that most people just want things to work. He is a road cyclist at heart and doesn't care much if those roads are paved, dirt, or digital. Although he rarely races, if you ask him to ride from sunrise to sunset the answer will be yes. Height: 5'9" Weight: 140 lb. Rides: Salsa Warbird, Cannondale CAAD9, Enve Melee, Look 795 Blade RS, Priority Continuum Onyx

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Trek Checkpoint SL 6 AXS review – all-round gravel machine

Trek’s checkpoint has unique progressive geometry and scissor frame features and all the mount points you could want. but is it a multi-surface, multi-mission master or a complicated compromise.

BikePerfect Verdict

Genuinely ride improving IsoPulse frame tech with unique handling that’s happy from road rides to rough bikepacking, plus tons of mount points and a sweet spot spec list make the Checkpoint SL 6 an excellent, easy yet efficient choice for whatever you want gravel to be.

IsoPulse Decoupler is a significant ride smoother

Well balanced road or rough handling

Efficient speed on all surfaces

SL 6 model is a real performance for price sweet spot

Saddle is a bit squishy on longer rides

Many mounts mean slightly more mass

Controls go through the headset

Non removable front mech tab

Rough rear hub

Why trust BikePerfect Our cycling experts have decades of testing experience. We'll always share our unbiased opinions on bikes and gear. Find out more about how we test.

Trek’s second generation Checkpoint gravel bike has a unique, ride smoothing scissor frame design, confidently controlled handling, internal storage plus lots of clever external cargo fittings including custom bags. The SL 6 looks like a sweet spot in terms of performance for price too. I have been getting the multi-surface miles in to see how the Checkpoint checks out as an all-round race and adventure candidate. 

Design and geometry

The first impression of the Checkpoint SL is what a chunky frame it is. The massive downtube leaves plenty of storage space under the latched hatch though and together with the broad seat tube means full width support of the oversized T47 bottom bracket. The broad rectangular top tube gives plenty of real estate for bolt on bags above and below it. It also hugs round the head tube to create a deep brow below the upper segment that turns with the bars and acts as entry point to the internal control routing. The deeply dropped asymmetric stays are chunky too and even the seat stays are sturdy pieces by modern ‘flexy and friendly’ standards.

Normally this would read like a classic recipe for a horribly rigid ride, but hiding under the pop out servicing panels at the tope tube/seat stay/seat tube junction is a skewering pivot axle. This ‘IsoSpeed Decoupler’ lets the seat tube flex back and forth above and below (where the tube is dramatically scooped out) the axis of the pivot for an impressively smooth ride in the saddle but a very stiff feel underfoot. Specific variations of the theme have been used successfully right across Trek’s road, CX, MTB and gravel ranges for a while too.

As well as the internal space and top tube mounts, there are four bottle cage positions, hidden fender mounts, less hidden frame mounts and the mandatory triple holes down each carbon fork leg for whatever you want to bolt/strap on. There’s a steel scuff plate behind the chainring (maximum size 46T) plastic armor on the belly and an adjustable chain keeper. There’s ample space for 700 x 45mm or 650 x 52mm (27.5 x 2.1in) tires in frame and fork too. The only glitch is the redundant but irremovable front mech mount sticking awkwardly out from the seat tube.

OCLV 500 is Trek’s mid price, mid weight carbon composite option with a claimed 56cm painted frame weight of 1480g and a fork weight of 501g. This makes it heavier than the Checkpoint SLR chassis, but that’s not available separately, while the SL is $2,399 / £2,500 / €2,699

Components and build

As the model name suggests, the SL6 gets SRAM’s AXS wireless gear set up. It’s the lower/mid tier Rival group with an alloy crank (the SL7 AXS gets Force and carbon wheels) with a 40T chainring matched to a 10-44 tooth XPLR cassette. The bottom bracket is the latest T47 standard. Shifters and hydraulic disc brakes are Rival too, with 160mm rotors for decent stopping power.

Bontrager Paradigm Comp wheels use alloy 25mm wide rims with hard plastic tubeless sealing strips for long term durability. Stock bikes come with Bontrager GR1 Team Issue tires but my sample bike was running Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M Classic tires in the same 40mm width. The Bontrager Switch thru-axle has a removable lever with 4 and 5mm Allen keys in the tip too. The non-adjustable rear hub bearings were sounding super rough and wobbling within a few days of riding though.

Bontrager supply all the finishing kit including a carbon seat post and a particularly squishy saddle. All the contact points are size specific with different crank lengths from 165mm to 175mm, 38 - 46cm bars and 70 - 100mm stems depending on frame size. You get a wider saddle on 49 and 52cm bikes as well.

Complete bike weight of our 56cm test bike with bottle cages and internal storage sleeves but no pedals was 9.3kg. The price compares well to other carbon gravel bikes with internal storage like the Specialized Diverge and Santa Cruz Stigmata too although It’s worth noting that the same bike (identical apart from a moss green finish) has just appeared on the Trek UK website for only £4,300 and I imagine other territories will update soon. 

Ride, handling and performance

There’s two main things to talk about with the Checkpoint that are unique to this bike – the IsoSpeed Decoupler and the ‘progressive’ handling. It’s certainly not unique in saying it has ‘progressive’ handling but Trek do it different. Rather than slackening the head angle in an MTB style, they’ve kept it road bike steep (72.2 degrees on my 56cm test bike) but reduced the rake (angle between a vertical line through the centre of the hub/tire contact patch versus the hub and steering centers – aka headset – of the frame) of the fork. In one sense this makes it more responsive through the bars and Trek have amplified that by using a shorter stem than normal. However, the smaller rake means a longer trail figure (distance between that vertical line through the hub centre/tire contact patch). That means the front wheel ‘castors’ more strongly so it wants to stay straight and the bike needs more effort to get it to change direction. Trek have also lengthened the reach by 20mm on average and added 10mm to the rear centre so you’re getting significantly more stability that way too.

Overall then you’re getting a more resolute, ‘I’ll keep going straight rather than freaking out and tripping up’ character than average on the Checkpoint through rough, rooty or loose rock situations – while still having a light and sensitive steering feel. Its definitely subtly different to something like the Santa Cruz Stigmata where the head angle has been slackened dramatically MTB style. That manifests in a keener, more reactive feel through the bars on Checkpoint on climbs and in slow speed situations. That’s emphasised by an already slack seat angle that gets even slacker as the seat post bows backwards under high torque / low revs effort so you’re balancing between alert accuracy and popping the front wheel up and losing control at extremes. It’s not quite as planted through fast, drifting turns as the Stigmata (my current ‘gravel speedway’ benchmark) as you can provoke it to twitch and tweak at the limit. It feels less sluggish and barge like on the road than a slacked out bike though. The deeper than average (for gravel at least) drop on the bars and fast rolling tires also gives a more ‘all-road’ vibe. So if you’re likely to run fast tires or even invest in a separate set of road wheels rather than fit a dropper post and knobbly rubber, then the Checkpoint is a really effective and enjoyable balance.

That’s not to say it’s not very smooth and capable on rougher terrain though because the IsoSpeed tech really does work well. Not as obviously as a suspension seatpost, but in a more organic ‘smoothes the sharp edges and slap sting off roots and rocks’ sense that feels a lot like running much bigger tires than you are in terms of both comfort and traction. Fore and aft flux means it can feel a little ‘rounded off’ when pedaling hard in the saddle, but stand up and there’s clearly a very solid and purposeful drive delivery to the back wheel. The back wheel still carves and cuts cleanly rather than writhing across it’s axis if you’re pushing hard through turns or off cambers too.

While Trek have abandoned their front end IsoSpeed tech, the fork is similarly smooth and forgiving without slurring tracking so there’s no ‘game of two halves’ mismatch to unsettle the handling. The Bontrager Elite Gravel bars have rubber padding embedded in their top surface for a bit of extra comfort and the squidgy saddle plays it’s part in isolating the trail. The fact it’s still an active tracking and laterally stiff bike is obvious and welcome when you’re tackling singletrack or sketchy descents while loaded up for a few days of bikepacking. Even a full size seatpack rammed with a tent, stove and a couple of campsite tinnies didn’t set up any weird harmonics or wriggle at speed and knowing the top tube bags are physically bolted into place adds mental and mechanical confidence too.

The 160mm brake rotors both ends and 44 tooth largest cog on the XPLR cassette are welcome when loaded too and as usual the Rival AXS set up was totally trouble free through an extensive test period. Apart from the premature death of the bearings in the rear hub the Bontrager wheels seem tough, but a lighter set would definitely pep up the dutiful rather than dynamic accelerating character of the SL 6.

Trek like doing things differently and there’s definitely a lot of distinctive features to the Checkpoint. The result never feels weird though, just a great balance of smoothness, assured but not dull handling and efficient yet comfortable speed across a wide range of surfaces. It’s ready to have pretty much any accessory from dedicated bags to commuting fenders bolted on too.

While you can go lighter with the SLR frames, fancier with the various pricier SL models, or cheaper with the alloy ALR models, the SL 6 is a definite sweet spot pick. It's full of wireless functionality, carbon frame and proportionately sized componentry without paying any more than you need to. And if you can invest later it’s definitely a frame worth upgrading not least because it’s blend of 'feels good on the road' and when loaded up for wilderness bikepacking (as well as everything in between) makes it very versatile.

Test conditions

• Surface: Gravel, road, roots, rocks, mud, sand, grass singletrack, mixed farm tracks
• Trails: Moorland tracks, forest fire roads, actual roads, rocky rural roads, natural woodland singletrack.
• Weather: Dry to drizzle. (5 – 15 C)

Tech specs: Trek Checkpoint SL 6 AXS

• Discipline: Gravel Race/Adventure
• Price: $4,299 / £4,450 / €4,799
• Head angle: 67.5 degrees
• Frame material: 500 Series OCLV carbon fibre
• Fork: Trek Checkpoint, full carbon
• Sizes: 49, 52, 54, 56 (tested), 58, 61cm 
• Weight: 9.3kg (56cm model)
• Wheel size: 700c
• Chainset: SRAM Rival, 40T, 172.5mm chainset with DUB Wide T47 bottom bracket. 
• Rear mech: SRAM Rival XPLR eTap AXS wireless
• Shifter: SRAM Rival eTap AXS, 12-speed wireless
• Cassette: SRAM XG-1251, 10-44T, 12-speed
• Brakes: SRAM Rival hydraulic disc with SRAM Paceline 160mm rotors. 
• Tires: Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M Classic 700 x 40mm tires
• Wheels: Bontrager Paradigm Comp 25 alloy
• Bars: Bontrager Elite Gravel, 31.8 x 42 cm
• Stem: Bontrager Pro, 31.8 mm, Blendr-compatible, 7-degree, 90 mm length
• Seatpost: Bontrager carbon, 27.2 mm
• Saddle: Bontrager Verse Comp, steel rails, 145 mm width

Guy has been working on Bike Perfect since we launched in 2019. Hatched in Yorkshire he's been hardened by riding round it in all weathers since he was a kid. He spent a few years working in bike shops and warehouses before starting writing and testing for bike mags in 1996. Since then he’s written several million words about several thousand test bikes and a ridiculous amount of riding gear. To make sure he rarely sleeps and to fund his custom tandem habit, he’s also penned a handful of bike-related books and talks to a GoPro for YouTube, too.

Current rides: Cervelo ZFS-5, Forbidden Druid V2, Specialized Chisel, custom Nicolai enduro tandem, Landescape/Swallow custom gravel tandem

Height: 180cm

Weight: 69kg

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TREK - 2022 Checkpoint SL6 ETap

The Checkpoint SL 6 eTap is a carbon gravel bike designed to take you to places you'd never reach on a standard road bike. A lightweight OCLV Carbon frame with gravel-smoothing IsoSpeed, a smart and smooth SRAM Rival AXS wireless electronic drivetrain, nimble-yet-stable progressive geometry and internal storage and loads of mounts make this bike a true gravel powerhouse and a great choice for serious all-road adventurers.

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23 checkpoint sl6 etap gravel bike.

Trek Gravel Bikes

Product Details

• The SRAM Rival eTap AXS wireless drivetrain won’t leave a hole in your wallet, and you can fully customise your shift logic using the AXS app
• The damped, controlled rebound of the IsoSpeed decoupler soaks up fatiguing bumps without bouncing you around
• All-new progressive geometry is quick and nimble yet keeps you stable and in control on fast, choppy descents
• A sleek internal storage compartment gives you a versatile spot to stow tools and gear

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New Bike Day - 2022 Trek Checkpoint SL6 eTap

Merv Merpson | Sun 10th Jul 2022 09:24

Treks Checkpoint SL6 etap is the jack of all trades bike in the Trek lineup. Part gravel racing machine, part commuter, part bike packing. Whatever you want to do with it, it'll work. Durand from Evo's new bike showed up and we took the chance to grab some photos of this epic before it becomes not so new...

The Checkpoint SL 6 eTap is a carbon gravel bike designed to take you to places you'd never reach on a standard road bike. A lightweight OCLV Carbon frame with gravel-smoothing IsoSpeed, a smart and smooth SRAM Rival AXS wireless electronic drivetrain, nimble-yet-stable progressive geometry and internal storage and loads of mounts make this bike a true gravel powerhouse and a great choice for serious all-road adventurers.

NEW BIKE DAY

Durand has been waiting a while for this one! After placing an order at the start of 2022, it wasn't until July it arrived in NZ due to global manufacturing and shipping constraints brought on by Covid-19. Now that the wait is over, and the bike is built up, he's excited to throw a leg over and put the bike through it's paces.

While this bike is designed predominantly for gravel adventures, it serves just as well as a fast and versatile commuter. Based in Nelson, Durand has access to a massive network of local cycle trails as well as an expansive forestry road network. This bike will get a thrashing on everything from pavement to single track, and every gravel road in between!

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Trek Checkpoint SL6 review

Trek Points

Robert Smith

Robin Wilmott

Fully-featured, practical frameset, IsoSpeed, carbon wheelset

I’d prefer to have 40mm tyres supplied

Trek’s Checkpoint SL6 gravel bike is the natural evolution of its Domane road bike and Boone cyclocross bike. In profile it could be mistaken for either, but look closely at the stealthy black frameset, and the differences become clear.

• The Trek Checkpoint SL6 is one of our Bike of the Year bikes for 2019. To read reviews of the other contenders and the categories tested across road, mountain and women's bikes, visit our Bike of the Year hub page .

The fork has a gentle curve, with its thru-axle offset just behind the fork’s centre line to gain a little compliance, and it has mudguard and rack mounts.

The semi-compact frame includes a rear IsoSpeed decoupler, and large down tube, with Trek’s Control Freak internal cable routing system, which gathers up the cables and rear brake hose in one port on top of the tube. Beneath it, a polymer impact guard covers the lower portion of the down tube and extends along the chainstays too, punctuated only by an additional bottle cage mount.

• Top 5 gravel bikes
• Trek goes all in on gravel with Checkpoint

Deviating hugely from the Boone and Domane, the Checkpoint’s rear end has a heavily dropped, intricately shaped driveside chainstay to permit extra tyre clearance and the double chainset. The square seatstays bow gently upwards, have a bridge, and well-hidden mudguard and rack mounts, and end in Trek’s Stranglehold dropouts. These feature slots and screw-in adjusters that allow the wheelbase to be altered by sliding the captive thru-axles by up to 20mm.

The lower seat tube is shaped to increase tyre clearance, which the dropouts help to tune, but if singlespeed is your bag, they’re also essential for chain tension adjustment.

Although supplied with 35mm Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres, the Checkpoint can run up to 40mm (measured) rubber, giving 4mm frame clearance. The asymmetric seat tube is offset for the front mech and Trek’s 3S chain keeper, which perches above the BB90 bottom bracket shell to prevent chain suck.

Frame sealing and storage are impressively practical. My 56cm frame has options for two bottle cages within the main triangle, as well as one below and the usual seat tube cage, and above the top tube are fittings for an easy-access storage pouch. Trek’s Ride Tuned seatmast cap means no seat tube cutting, and because the seatmast telescopes over it, it’s totally sealed against filth.

Trek Checkpoint SL6 ride impressions

What’s immediately apparent is how smooth the Checkpoint SL6 feels. With 40psi in the 35mm tyres, it glides across tarmac with road bike-like speed and feel, the closely-spaced, shallow, round tread blocks rolling almost imperceptibly, with plenty of grip.

Great frame stiffness and the light, shallow and wide Paradigm Comp carbon wheelset make for responsive, quick acceleration that help you cover ground surprisingly fast.

Leaving roads behind, the Checkpoint transitions easily to rougher surfaces, the rear IsoSpeed decoupler really coming into play. The suspended feel it gives through the saddle over washboard gravel and uneven surfaces is impressive, although the bike’s front end doesn’t quite match its ability.

Concerns that the Ultegra drivetrain might be overgeared were soon dispelled

The fork works hard to soak up the bumps, but the handlebar adds nearly as much, together keeping things composed and totally controlled.

The Montrose saddle proved supportive and comfy enough, and despite needing to reign the speed in a little on the slick mud and loose off-cambers, the Schwalbes coped very well.

With some 40mm tyres fitted and run tubeless, grip and off-road ability would be even greater without costing too much road speed. Trek has been quite conservative here, perhaps aiming to lure in roadies, to whom 35mm tyres are already quite a leap, but the Checkpoint’s potential is there to be tuned or exploited in a way that suits you.

Concerns that the Ultegra drivetrain might be overgeared were soon dispelled. The 50/34 compact chainset and 11-34 cassette still allow a 1:1 climbing gear, and more than enough road speed, and the gear jumps are small.

Again, it does lean towards faster terrain, which is generally a feature of American gravel riding. The British equivalent can often be slower, rougher and more fiddly, and when riding on the big ring, I often found myself with a less than ideal chainline. But despite the mud and rocks, I had no dropped chains.

Comparing the geometry to the Boone gives a further steer as to the bike’s intentions. The head angle is a little steeper, while the head tube on my model is 12mm shorter. The top tube is longer, the bottom bracket drop 8mm lower, but the wheelbase of both bikes remains the same, thanks to less fork trail and greater offset on the Checkpoint.

It’s a great balance between crisp, high-speed steering and stable, low-speed control, but always favouring quicker terrain. With its assorted mounts for drinks, spares and gear, the Checkpoint is hugely versatile and can be willingly pressed in to service as a weekend gravel racer, backroads explorer, bike packer, winter trainer or luxury commuter.

Whatever road or trail you choose, this Trek is all about speed.

Trek Checkpoint SL6 specifications

• Sizes (*tested): 49, 52, 54, 56*, 58, 61
• Weight: 8.9kg
• Frame: 500 Series OCLV carbon, rear IsoSpeed, Stranglehold dropouts
• Fork: Checkpoint carbon disc
• Chainset: Shimano Ultegra 50/34
• Bottom bracket: BB90
• Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 11-34
• Chain: Shimano HG600
• Derailleurs: Shimano HG600
• Gear levers: Shimano Ultegra hydraulic
• Wheels: Bontrager Paradigm Comp tubeless-ready
• Tyres: Schwalbe G-One Allround 35mm
• Stem: Bontrager Elite alloy
• Handlebar: Bontrager RL IsoZone VR-CF
• Headset: Integrated, sealed 1 1/4in – 1 1/2in
• Saddle: Bontrager Montrose Comp
• Seatpost: Bontrager Ride Tuned carbon seatmast cap
• Brakes: Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc, 160mm rotors

Trek Checkpoint SL6 geometry

• Seat angle: 73 degrees
• Head angle: 72.2 degrees
• Chainstay: 42.5cm
• Seat tube: 56cm
• Top tube: 56.6cm
• Head tube: 14.5cm
• Fork offset: 4.9cm
• Trail: 6.1cm
• Bottom bracket drop: 7.6cm
• Wheelbase: 1,020mm
• Stack: 58.6cm
• Reach: 38.7cm
• Price: £3,400 / US$4,000 / AU$4,699

BikeRadar would like to thank Stolen Goat , Lazer , Northwave and Effetto Mariposa for their help and support during our Bike of the Year test.

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• Checkpoint SL 6

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2019 Trek Checkpoint SL 6

A carbon frame gravel bike with high-end components and hydraulic disc brakes. Compare the full range

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(descending)

Add custom gearing

5'2" – 5'5"

5'3" – 5'7"

5'5" – 5'9"

5'7" – 6'0"

5'10" – 6'2"

6'0" – 6'4"

• 5'4", size 52cm, Fits large

Dec 2020 · Ben Delaney

Gravel bikes abound, but this one checks all the boxes, and at a great price.

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Jun 2020 · Laura Weislo

On early impressions, Trek's flagship gravel bike, the Checkpoint SL7, looks perfect for seekers of versatility and adventure

Lightweight, agile and responsive ride

IsoSpeed shock adds comfort

Underbody protection for the eye-popping paint job

SRAM Force eTap AXS 1X drive not suited to mixed road/gravel

Top tube is too wide near the seat tube

Toe overlap in the smallest size

Mar 2020 · Dale Tiessen

Out of the saddle putting down maximum power into the Checkpoint, it feels like a nice carbon road bike.

May 2019 · Robin Wilmott

Although not the most rugged explorer, the Checkpoint SL6 will go almost anywhere, quickly and in comfort

Fully-featured, practical frameset, IsoSpeed, carbon wheelset

I’d prefer to have 40mm tyres supplied

Nov 2018 · Joe Cruz

Joe tested the Trek Checkpoint SL6 on weekly fast roadie coffee shop rides, a 10-hr dirt randonee, and VT gravel/singletrack explorations. Here's the review

Feels like a road race bike

IsoSpeed coupler absolutely smooths out jolts

Thoughtful design touches, including a variety of bosses for cages, armor under the downtube, bosses for a gas tank bag

Very capable on tarmac alongside its gravel prowess

650b conversion not recommended

Unusual routing can cause cable contact with knees depending on out of the saddle pedaling style; might also interfere with feed bags

Long inseam riders may reach the end of the saddle height adjustment

Purpose built for speed rather than maximal bikepacking versatility

The new Trek Checkpoint gravel bike covers all the bases off road and on, making it a versatile, adjustable option that could replace several of your bikes.

Jul 2018 · Troy Templin

Better late than never, Trek’s Checkpoint has arrived

Jun 2018 · David Arthur @davearthur

Sadly disappointing gravel bike debut from Trek, though fine if you want a fat-tyred road bike

Last updated September 11 Not listed for 1,689 days