2020 Trek Checkpoint Review. This is going to be a different post for me. However, I just wanted to share how much I am liking the Trek Checkpoint. The 2020 Trek Checkpoint SL5 has been a game-changer and is an all-around great gravel and road bike.
What do I think of the Trek Checkpoint SL5?
I have had the Trek Checkpoint for a little over a year now and I absolutely love it. If you are looking to get into gravel riding and want to do some road riding too the Trek Checkpoint SL5 fits the bill. I would go as far as to say if you are looking to get into road riding and maybe thinking about doing some gravel to give this a hard look too.
Since I have been riding the Trek Checkpoint SL5 my brand new 2021 Emonda SL7 Etap has not been seeing the love it should be. I just can’t help myself. With the right tires on the Checkpoint, you can really do anything on it. I myself run the Panaracer Gravel Kings 38. These tires have been great for both riding on the road with a little more pressure and hitting the gravel roads as well. It seems like I grab my gravel bike for more and more rides these days. Even if some of these rides are on the road with groups of road bikes.
Pros and Cons of the Trek Checkpoint SL5
The Pros:
- The Trek Checkpoint is a super-versatile bike that can handle road rides and haggard gravel as well.
- The ride quality is the best I have ever experienced.
- The geometry is very close to my road bike. This is great when you are switching between bikes.
- The Isospeed in the seat tube. This thing works! On some faster gravel sections, you can feel the bike giving a little bit below you.
- Throw some road wheels and tires on and make it your road race bike!
The Cons:
- It is on the heavier side. I think with pedals and cages the bike weighed in at 21lbs. (however, it never feels heavy when climbing gravel)
- No left side crank arm power meter compatibility. To my knowledge, there is no non-drive side crank arm power meter solution for these bikes. Which sucks because had a Stages ready to go right on it
- The wheels that came on the bike. These were a no named alloy wheel and were craptastic. I upgraded to the Bontrager Aeolus Pro 3V TLR Disc. These wheels were a game changer!!!!
- More gearing in the back. This bike came with the Shimano 105 groupset which I truly love. However, the front chainrings are a normal compact and the cassette is 11-33. I do believe the new one comes with GRX which I think is an all-around better groupset and I think the front chainring is smaller.
That’s really about all the cons I can think of.
2020 Trek Checkpoint Review Conclusion
The Trek Checkpoint has really been a great bike for me and I assume a ton of other people. If you are looking to get into road riding but you don’t want the full-on race bike you should really consider the Checkpoint. Let’s say you end up getting into more road riding than gravel you can always just put some road wheels and tires on and call it good. If you end up getting into more gravel riding this bike is more than enough to handle it.
These are my thoughts on the Trek Checkpoint SL5 after a year of owning it. I hope this helps some people on the fence make the decision easier. Since I have been riding road bikes for quite some time this is one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to beginners and experts riders all day long. I hope you enjoyed reading the 2020 Trek Checkpoint Review.
You can go to Trek Bikes website and take a look at what they have. Then check out your nearest Trek Dealer!
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/road-bikes/gravel-bikes/c/B546/
Thanks for reading,
Anxious Daddy
