r/CheckpointClub

Finally picked up a Checkpoint and took it on my first ride this morning. Ended up going with the ALR3 as the Dark Carmine was the only color I liked of the ALR's. My only hesitation was the mechanical disc brakes, but more on that later.. What a phenomenal bike. There are numerous long loop gravel access roads and nature paths in my area (SW Florida). I ride road and mountain bikes, but always enjoyed getting out on these trails on my FX Hybrid, but being used to the drops on my road bike I've always wanted to pick up a gravel bike. I'm also planning on a couple longer rides once things cool down, mixed paved/gravel loop around lake Okeechobee (~110 miles) and the FL Coast to Coast trail (250+ miles, would be a 2/3 day trip) which has some gravel on the southern route and a lot of transition. I want drops for that. Coming from a Domane, the checkpoint was an easy transition and is extremely comfortable.

Only upgrade I've made was fit some Girona RSL's (same 42mm as stock) I had laying around. Everything else is stock and I'll upgrade as time goes if I feel I need to.

That brings me to the brakes. Of all my bikes, I was least concerned about the checkpoint's braking as it'll be used almost exclusively for low/no traffic flat hard pack gravel rides or bike packing. That said, I didn't expect much based on others' comments online about the tektro mechanical discs, and figured after upgrading to hydraulic if needed I'd be out the same or less than jumping right to the ALR4 but settling for a color I didn't like.

I have the 105 groupset on my domane with Continental GP tires, as well as 4 piston SLX's on my mountain bike, so I have a frame of reference for what good braking feels like. Before bedding them in, they were laughably bad. Basically non-existent. Even new hydraulic brakes have SOME stopping power lol. That said, now that I have some miles on them (including a 10 mile loop around my neighborhood frequently stopping to get them bedded), they truly feel great. Even with only 50 miles on the bike (most of which was straight riding with no brakes) and can already get the front tire to lock out depending on my speed and the surface. Are they as touch-sensitive as hydraulics, no, but for my uses they don't need to be. They just need to stop the bike periodically haha.

Plus, considering this bike will be in more remote locations than my others, I actually really like the idea of being able to make any/all necessary adjustments with a multi-tool. The simplicity really gives me peace of mind.

So if you're looking into picking up a checkpoint, don't turn your nose up at the mechanical brakes. At this point, I doubt I'll ever upgrade to hydraulic on this bike.

Glad I'm finally on a checkpoint, these are great bikes!!

PS.. I guess that last 0.01 miles was just too much lol

Very happy with how this bike performs on steep gravel climbs. However, it is definitely time for some big boy tires. Can anyone recommend me some 48/50 mm tires that handle loose gravel but still roll nicely on asphalt?

The next step is to swap the wheelset out to something with a wider internal width, but given that I'm already getting so much out of this bike, I might just skip it. Eventually if I do get said wheelset though, I'll be throwing these 50mm Conti Dubs on it or until my Burt's wear out.

Any tips and tricks I should know about the frame bag?

A retirement gift to myself. Changed the stock wheels and tires before I left the store. New wheels are Light Bicycle WG44 - DT350 hubs with Thundero 48s which measure 51. Redshift stem to ease the arthritis. Got to get back to riding shape to ride the Flint, but the Checkpoint + is too much fun right now.

Hi folks,

This is my latest gravel build and, tbh, one of the most comfortable ones I have/had. It’s mostly a stock SL6, with a changed wheelset to Elitewheels Gravel Aero+ and tires to Panaracer GravelKing X1 Limited Sakura.

The new Rival is pretty good. The shifter ergonomics are especially nice, and the brakes are a huge step up from the previous generation (I have the previous ones on my road bike).

Btw. unbranded bottles are dope, they cost like 30% of the price of branded ones ;)

I’ve just picked up my new bike. It’s my first carbon bike and my first Trek. I noticed some marks on the frame. Is this normal, or should I be concerned?

Scuffed my fork against a rock. Do anyone of you have any suggestions how I can "fix" it?

I was itching to upgrade from the stock 42mm and decided the switch to 50mm Girona RSL and it’s sooo smooth. When I lean into anything she basically steers for me and I have to keep it steady. What are everyone’s thoughts on 50-50+mm on checkpoints? I love it by the way

First ride on Checkpoint SL6 Gen3. More trails, roads and mud to be explored. 🙌