The new 2023 Trek Checkpoint SLR finally in my hands. I had he chance to order this bike and took it. Originally I was originally wanting the SLR 7 Etap however, they had the SLR 6 in stock so I snagged one while I could. The color I was a little hesitant on but overall I am happy how it looks. I get lots of compliments on it already.
My idea behind ordering the Checkpoint SLR 6 was to have one bike for both road and gravel. I have been riding much more gravel lately so I would rather have a better gravel bike than road bike at this time. This would also be my fist bike with a 1x setup which I was a little worried about liking it or not. This post is just to cover some quick first impressions on the Trek Checkpoint SLR 6 Etap.
- The Sram Rival etap AXS shifts great! There were no adjustments needed when it came to the shifting.
- The brakes did need to be worked on a bit. I had to use the tool to adjust the pistons as they were not wanting to move much. There is still a little bit of adjustment that needs to be done but overall they are much better. You can find the troubleshooting guide from Sram here. I went by the first set of instructions.
- The hoods on the Rival AXS are much better for me since I have smaller hands.
- The downtube storage compartment isn’t as big as I would have hoped. I will still need to rock a saddle bag.
- I didn’t like the saddle that came on it so I am using a Specialized power saddle. However, I did order a Bontrager Aeolus Pro saddle which I had on my road bike and really liked it.
- The powermeter is sleek and was easy to setup and pair to my Garmin
- The Aeolus carbon wheels are bomb proof. I have them on my 2019 Checkpoint and they probably have well over 15,000 miles on them with no issues.
- The overall fit and ride of the bike is great. It is very comfortable but still feels lively and handles well. The 54cm comes with a 80mm stem and I changed it out with a 90mm. The Checkpoint SLR does have a longer wheel base on it.
- The 1x setup has been great so far. I haven’t felt like I needed more gearing in either direction yet. this could change when I get more miles on the bike.
- The Checkpoint SLR 6 is not light by any means but will get the job done. I believe it was around 19lbs for a 56cm according to Trek’s website. I haven’t weighed mine yet but it is a 54cm so I assume it will weigh a little less.
It is still in the air if this bike is going to work for road as well. For road season I will be running some road wheels and 28c road tires as well. We will see how this plays out. I am hopeful I won’t notice much difference but time will tell.
My first impressions on the Trek Checkpoint SLR 6 Etap are overall pretty good. The more miles I put in the more I will get to know the bike. I will do another post after I get more road and gravel miles put in.
Check out my post on the Trek Emonda SL7 Etap below.
