Nice reviews bro’s. Ordering a 2025 Checkpoint SL7 tomorrow. I was torn on the colorway and you had SL7 color I was initially interested in. It looks pretty sweet. Thanks again.
Lets gooooo! Congrats on the new bike hope you get some epic adventures. I was surprised by how much I liked that colorway looks even better in the sun 🤙
I bought the Checkpoint SL5 Gen 3 based on its own merits but wanted UDH capability to allow future upgrades to Red tech. I learned a lot from your video. Your experience and enthusiasm was infectious. Excellent informative and honest video!
UDH is the future solid deciding factor. Congratulations on the new bike hope you’re getting some epic adventures in. Really appreciate the comment and feedback thank you 🤙
@@wherespinto I am excited about it. I started with a XC bike but I always felt like Gravel made a lot more sense for my type of riding. You deserve a lot more subs for how good your content is, keep it up!
O man, am waiting for my Checkpoint to get delivered. Was about to buy the Gen2 one but held off on it. Then Gen3 came around and 50mm clearance is all I need here in Germany. Got a MTB for everything thats bigger. My roadbike takes up to a max of 35mm so im golden all around. I loved the comparison with the Checkmate as well! Thx for that.
Congrats on the new bike that definitely is an upgrade from the gen2 getting some extra clearance, i can see this bike showing up in more offroad ultras. You got the perfect setup of bikes to handle any ride 🤙
Thanks for the review, lots of good stuff. I've been looking at the new Checkpoint but I'm hoping to try one out first. I'm pretty sure a Large is the right size for me. I have an old Giant mountain bike I bought in 2001 and looking for something new for the gravel trails I mainly ride around. Hoping some of the local shops get some in soon so I can try it out before committing.
Appreciate the watch 🙏 Check with your local trek shop, we asked and they had 6 currently available to order. Not sure if you can have them order and try but worth a shot. This definitely be a upgrade and you can get pretty close to those mtb tires 🤙
I jumped on it to try it out and loved it. I bikepack almost every month and want the wider tires so I prefer the checkpoint. I also love the storage in downtube. I have a Gen 2 checkpoint and really love it too. I was bummed that it didn’t have the better cassette in the back for the checkpoint not enough gear for my test. But i do use road and light gravel and bike pack on my checkpoint.
It really does seem like a great bikepacking rig with lots of different ways to set it up. Be cool to see some different companies make some different screw in frame bags.
@@wherespinto for sure I usually go Rogue Panda for fully custom the checkpoint is the first stock bag that I have used for a good amount of time. I have a buddy with a tailfin but I like to have the weight more balanced so i use the front fork bags and a handlebar bag when camping when hotel gravel trips i dont rock those.
@@andrewholybee6211 ok sick thats really cool to hear i wasnt sure how well that stock bag was but dang its a good size. Definitely feel you though on spreading the weight out my set up is all in the back gets a little sketchy 🤣
@@wherespinto I wasn’t sure about the colors on the new checkpoint. But seeing the bronze SL7 in your video, it’s growing on me. Also good to notice you were both positive about the new checkpoint (geo), even though it was a short look and feel. It would be my first bike with sram though. But I guess with sram force not much could go wrong. Checkmate is a whole other thing, very impressive bike, was able to check out some SLR7s locally. Also interested to see the SLR9 with new red 13 speed.
I have the Trek SLR 9 Checkmate and it’s the closest to a road bike a gravel bike can be. I run the Schwalbe G-One RS 40mm tires for good pavement and gravel use. I kept my Trek SLR 7 Checkpoint for “Adventure” riding.
Best of both worlds right there 🔥🔥🔥 Id definitely scoop that checkmate up if I was in the market for a road bike it really feels like one and I run 44 road tires lets gooo!!!
I have not tried. I got the Checkmate to be an all road so I will stick with 40mm Schwalbe tires. The Checkpoint will be used for more chunky gravel riding. I did see the Trek factory racers were running Maxxis 50mm tiress on the Checkmate.
@@wherespinto oh I see, thanks for your respone Nick, I appreciate it! Hopefully next time you can get hold of the correct frame size for you and review it then compare to your seigla :)
Hi Nick, great video! Currently in the proces of buying a Checkpoint. Kind a struggling with sizing. I'm 178 cm (5 10) with 83.5cm(33 inch) inseam. Whats your take on the sizing Trek recommends? They have me at the end of the M/L size but that just looks so big compared to other brands gravel bikes. What is your experience with Treks size chart and would you size down against Treks advice? Thank you in advance!
Sizing is always tricky when it comes to brands more times then not I tend to size down however I prefer a more racy fit and a smaller feeling bike. The best thing to do if your going for a trek is go into a trek store and try the different sizes when I bought my lauf I didn’t have that option and had to guess. My mom got a domane and could have gone ether 54 or 52 and after riding both liked the bigger size of the 54. If you dont have access to a shop next best thing is to find a trek community facebook page and see what others might be riding for size with similar dimensions. Best of luck 🤙
Nice vid lads thanks Yep this checkmate and canyon grail On the drawing board for to long and is now out of date due to the movement to wider racing tyre clearance necessary
I meant to mention that new grail that definitely feels inline with the checkmate but definitely the loss of tire size and courses getting harder not having tire clearance is a ball drop. Appreciate watching 🙏
I have a Canyon Grail for my light gravel & road needs, and it certainly looks to match up well to the Trek Checkmate. And the Checkpoint looks to be similar to the Canyon Grizl! I do wish my Grail had more tire clearance for the chunkier stuff.
@@AlanKrause it really reminds me of the grail i kept thinking that i havent personally got to see the new one yet but its inline although the grail cockpit and tt bars 👌 such a nice touch
Note that the Checkmate will fit 50 mm tires for dry conditions. Trek DRFTLSS riders were using a 50 mm tire in the rear, and something a little bigger in the front (I think a 2.1) at SBT GRVL.
@@barrowsworm1226interesting, will have to check that out! We could have tried to do the eye test in store but didn’t figure it would be close based on Trek’s 45 stages clearance. There’s always a bit more room than stated, just a matter of how much
They renamed the Checkpoint SLR to Checkmate…. Cheapened up the checkpoint along with some minor updates, slightly raced up the Checkmate…. Where there were cool gains there are also chinsy regressions. Always trying to ride the line on value and profit margin. Case closed…
22:36, my guess as to why there’s no eagle mullet on the Checkpoint is because there’s no complete groupset for that, and spec’ing it, even with cooperation from sram, would increase Trek’s costs. Ironically, they did have a standard mullet AXS drivetrain on the 2020/21 SL7 models. Maybe this time around they felt it wasn’t worth it and would leave it up to the consumer. I know there was supposed to be an Apex AXS Eagle groupset releasing, but it’s been radio silence since the initial 12 speed Apex announcement.
Not sure what the reason is, the package deal doesn’t make sense many other bike brands put together mtb derailleurs and road shifters also was interesting that the top line wasn’t even specd with the new red xplr 🤷♂️ its the bike industry forever a mystery with there choices 🤣
Ridiculous comment. Not a ton bikes take UDH, 50mm tires , storage, 27.2 dropper ability, threaded BB and good geo. Sure others but what prefer down to the individual their intended use.
@@mtbjer9825 comment is ok, people buying treks marketing bullshit are the ones who are ridiculous. This new checkpoint is looking absolutely disgusting and cheap. They had a nice aero looking frame with cheap bar+stem combo and awful round spacer totally not matching the frame. That was the only thing to fix. what did trek do? They made this bike more ugly, made changes in wrong places and left those cheap ugly cockpit option. And checkmate is also overpriced and not fit for the job. Everyone are racing now on 50+ tires. No wonder why no serious athlete is choosing trek bikes. Only the ones sponsored by trek but they still can't win any.
![We Challenge The Worlds Best Climber! [2+ Hour Compilation]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/aGjsKgSKKd4/mqdefault.jpg)
![We Challenge The Worlds Best Climber! [2+ Hour Compilation]](/img/tr.png)
Nice reviews bro’s. Ordering a 2025 Checkpoint SL7 tomorrow. I was torn on the colorway and you had SL7 color I was initially interested in. It looks pretty sweet. Thanks again.
Lets gooooo! Congrats on the new bike hope you get some epic adventures. I was surprised by how much I liked that colorway looks even better in the sun 🤙
I bought the Checkpoint SL5 Gen 3 based on its own merits but wanted UDH capability to allow future upgrades to Red tech. I learned a lot from your video. Your experience and enthusiasm was infectious. Excellent informative and honest video!
UDH is the future solid deciding factor. Congratulations on the new bike hope you’re getting some epic adventures in. Really appreciate the comment and feedback thank you 🤙
I just got the Checkpoint SL6 Gen 3 and I love it so far. This looked like 7, which also looks amazing.
Nice congrats that bike is going to last you a long while 🤙
@@wherespinto I am excited about it. I started with a XC bike but I always felt like Gravel made a lot more sense for my type of riding.
You deserve a lot more subs for how good your content is, keep it up!
I’m used to ur gravel rides, watched the whole vid not even knowing this was u😂 good ass vid hahah
🤣🤣🤣 well at least I can provide entertainment on both fronts appreciate the views 🤙
O man, am waiting for my Checkpoint to get delivered. Was about to buy the Gen2 one but held off on it. Then Gen3 came around and 50mm clearance is all I need here in Germany. Got a MTB for everything thats bigger. My roadbike takes up to a max of 35mm so im golden all around. I loved the comparison with the Checkmate as well! Thx for that.
Congrats on the new bike that definitely is an upgrade from the gen2 getting some extra clearance, i can see this bike showing up in more offroad ultras. You got the perfect setup of bikes to handle any ride 🤙
just FYI gen2 has clearance for 2.1 tires. I currently run 50mm tires and have plenty of space. Putting on 2.1 tires once these are worn down.
Thanks for the review, lots of good stuff. I've been looking at the new Checkpoint but I'm hoping to try one out first. I'm pretty sure a Large is the right size for me. I have an old Giant mountain bike I bought in 2001 and looking for something new for the gravel trails I mainly ride around. Hoping some of the local shops get some in soon so I can try it out before committing.
Appreciate the watch 🙏 Check with your local trek shop, we asked and they had 6 currently available to order. Not sure if you can have them order and try but worth a shot. This definitely be a upgrade and you can get pretty close to those mtb tires 🤙
I jumped on it to try it out and loved it. I bikepack almost every month and want the wider tires so I prefer the checkpoint. I also love the storage in downtube. I have a Gen 2 checkpoint and really love it too. I was bummed that it didn’t have the better cassette in the back for the checkpoint not enough gear for my test. But i do use road and light gravel and bike pack on my checkpoint.
It really does seem like a great bikepacking rig with lots of different ways to set it up. Be cool to see some different companies make some different screw in frame bags.
@@wherespinto for sure I usually go Rogue Panda for fully custom the checkpoint is the first stock bag that I have used for a good amount of time. I have a buddy with a tailfin but I like to have the weight more balanced so i use the front fork bags and a handlebar bag when camping when hotel gravel trips i dont rock those.
@@andrewholybee6211 ok sick thats really cool to hear i wasnt sure how well that stock bag was but dang its a good size. Definitely feel you though on spreading the weight out my set up is all in the back gets a little sketchy 🤣
Nice comparison video!
🙏 appreciate that
@@wherespinto I wasn’t sure about the colors on the new checkpoint. But seeing the bronze SL7 in your video, it’s growing on me. Also good to notice you were both positive about the new checkpoint (geo), even though it was a short look and feel. It would be my first bike with sram though. But I guess with sram force not much could go wrong. Checkmate is a whole other thing, very impressive bike, was able to check out some SLR7s locally. Also interested to see the SLR9 with new red 13 speed.
@@mseekles1972never had ridden a checkpoint before and was pleasantly surprised for sure!
That Checkpoint in that colorway looks SICK
🔥🔥🔥 seems a lot of people agree 🤙
I have the Trek SLR 9 Checkmate and it’s the closest to a road bike a gravel bike can be. I run the Schwalbe G-One RS 40mm tires for good pavement and gravel use. I kept my Trek SLR 7 Checkpoint for “Adventure” riding.
Best of both worlds right there 🔥🔥🔥
Id definitely scoop that checkmate up if I was in the market for a road bike it really feels like one and I run 44 road tires lets gooo!!!
Do you think you could fit a 50mm or 2.0xc tires without aggressive side knobs?
I have not tried. I got the Checkmate to be an all road so I will stick with 40mm Schwalbe tires. The Checkpoint will be used for more chunky gravel riding. I did see the Trek factory racers were running Maxxis 50mm tiress on the Checkmate.
Hello! Do you think it will fit 2.2 race kings at the rear? Or just other 2.1 mtb tires?
We really were eyeing the clearance trying to figure that out I think 2.1 is going to be fairly close im not sure a 2.2 will clear in the rear.
@@wherespinto oh I see, thanks for your respone Nick, I appreciate it! Hopefully next time you can get hold of the correct frame size for you and review it then compare to your seigla :)
Hi Nick, great video! Currently in the proces of buying a Checkpoint. Kind a struggling with sizing. I'm 178 cm (5 10) with 83.5cm(33 inch) inseam. Whats your take on the sizing Trek recommends? They have me at the end of the M/L size but that just looks so big compared to other brands gravel bikes. What is your experience with Treks size chart and would you size down against Treks advice? Thank you in advance!
Sizing is always tricky when it comes to brands more times then not I tend to size down however I prefer a more racy fit and a smaller feeling bike. The best thing to do if your going for a trek is go into a trek store and try the different sizes when I bought my lauf I didn’t have that option and had to guess. My mom got a domane and could have gone ether 54 or 52 and after riding both liked the bigger size of the 54. If you dont have access to a shop next best thing is to find a trek community facebook page and see what others might be riding for size with similar dimensions. Best of luck 🤙
Nice vid lads thanks Yep this checkmate and canyon grail On the drawing board for to long and is now out of date due to the movement to wider racing tyre clearance necessary
I meant to mention that new grail that definitely feels inline with the checkmate but definitely the loss of tire size and courses getting harder not having tire clearance is a ball drop. Appreciate watching 🙏
I have a Canyon Grail for my light gravel & road needs, and it certainly looks to match up well to the Trek Checkmate. And the Checkpoint looks to be similar to the Canyon Grizl! I do wish my Grail had more tire clearance for the chunkier stuff.
@@AlanKrause it really reminds me of the grail i kept thinking that i havent personally got to see the new one yet but its inline although the grail cockpit and tt bars 👌 such a nice touch
Note that the Checkmate will fit 50 mm tires for dry conditions. Trek DRFTLSS riders were using a 50 mm tire in the rear, and something a little bigger in the front (I think a 2.1) at SBT GRVL.
@@barrowsworm1226interesting, will have to check that out! We could have tried to do the eye test in store but didn’t figure it would be close based on Trek’s 45 stages clearance. There’s always a bit more room than stated, just a matter of how much
Got the gen 2 checkpoint.. my fav bike ever period
They renamed the Checkpoint SLR to Checkmate…. Cheapened up the checkpoint along with some minor updates, slightly raced up the Checkmate…. Where there were cool gains there are also chinsy regressions. Always trying to ride the line on value and profit margin. Case closed…
That purp 💜
Its definitely purdy in the light 🤙
That new new!
🔥🔥🔥
22:36, my guess as to why there’s no eagle mullet on the Checkpoint is because there’s no complete groupset for that, and spec’ing it, even with cooperation from sram, would increase Trek’s costs. Ironically, they did have a standard mullet AXS drivetrain on the 2020/21 SL7 models. Maybe this time around they felt it wasn’t worth it and would leave it up to the consumer.
I know there was supposed to be an Apex AXS Eagle groupset releasing, but it’s been radio silence since the initial 12 speed Apex announcement.
Not sure what the reason is, the package deal doesn’t make sense many other bike brands put together mtb derailleurs and road shifters also was interesting that the top line wasn’t even specd with the new red xplr 🤷♂️ its the bike industry forever a mystery with there choices 🤣
I ride the Gen 2 SL5 version. I like it. But damn, long ass reach. I might switch to a 70 or 60mm stem!
Oh dang it definitely looks longer i been on a stretched out rig definitely takes a lot of work to get it to work, hope you find the sweet spot 🤙
@wherespinto I've been moving the saddle a bit forward to make it more comfortable. But yes, I'm looking into a shorter stem.
Looking at 40mm like they're road bike tires while I'm out here riding on 23mm.
🤣🤣🤣 all i currently have are 2.2 road and gravel tires anything under 50 looks like 20s 🤙
@@wherespinto but 20s look sexy right?
What are gravel bikes if not road bikes with bigger clearance?
did trek just make the domane obsolete?
I mean the domane is still cheaper but id rather have the checkmate lol
New gravel bike release season is officially underway 🤙🏽
aka early xmas 🤣
I’ll buy it when they get the price closer to polygon, canyon, and 3T. This bike is not worth $3200.
You forgot to mention lauf 🤙
There are so many great gravel bikes on the market. But those treks are not one of them lol
Ridiculous comment. Not a ton bikes take UDH, 50mm tires , storage, 27.2 dropper ability, threaded BB and good geo. Sure others but what prefer down to the individual their intended use.
@@mtbjer9825 comment is ok, people buying treks marketing bullshit are the ones who are ridiculous. This new checkpoint is looking absolutely disgusting and cheap. They had a nice aero looking frame with cheap bar+stem combo and awful round spacer totally not matching the frame. That was the only thing to fix. what did trek do? They made this bike more ugly, made changes in wrong places and left those cheap ugly cockpit option. And checkmate is also overpriced and not fit for the job. Everyone are racing now on 50+ tires. No wonder why no serious athlete is choosing trek bikes. Only the ones sponsored by trek but they still can't win any.
Wrong.....bye now.
@@bryandavis5258 Lmao 😂😂😂😂
What brand and model you think is best? I am looking for one.