Beautiful bike James, I just picked up a Trek Domane SL6 a few months go & love it. I’ve not taken it off road yet but after seeing this vid I really makes me want to. I’m gonna get a set of 38mm gravel tires & give it a try, nice riding!
I have the Checkpoint ALR5 2021. Love it! Ordered it back when it was first released in early 2020 just as lock downs were happening. I have switched over to WTB Riddler 45’s. Wish I had started using them earlier.
@@Jamesthebikeguy I have been riding on a Bontrager tire 40. To me, they felt sluggish and I always felt like they were going flat but they weren’t. These WTB were very comfortable and are not sluggish at all. Very responsive on the climbs and fast on the downhills. I also feel comfortable/confident in the downhill curves with the WTB. I live in GA and did a gravel ride in Virginia back in Oct for my first ride on these. The route was 50/50 gravel and road. They were outstanding on the road as well. I am 6’-6” tall and weigh around 225. That could play some into my thoughts on this for me. My stepdad is the one who turned me onto the WTB who also rode Bontrager before he switched and is much smaller than I am and comments on how much smoother the ride is. He runs the riddler in the rear and the rattler on the front around 28 psi.
my 7.9 FX bybrid from 2011 is my gravel bike, its now 1x w 32mm tyres and it could prob go up to 42mm, i dont even mind the rim brakes since theyre easy to maintain and i have a winter bike w discs
@@richardbryanesq It's SRAM Force etap 1x12. Electronic XX1 rear derailleur. Force brakes, crankset & shifters. Trek did a nice job dreaming this one up!
I’m an avid mountain biker but I think I’ll do some gravel biking as well on my Specialized fuse as it’s got a fork lockout so will probs quire quicj on the gravel
Enjoyed your video. You have more elevation changes in the northeast than we do in Florida. I also purchased a Trek Checkpoint SL6 in June. I have 1063 miles on it as of today. I agree it is a great looking and handling bike. I kept the GR1 team tires. They have been good and no flats as of yet. They are more supple than I though they would be. I switched the saddle out for a Brooks B17. I just ordered a pair of Rene Herse Hurricane ridge tires. Flying to Colorado over Christmas and I will be taking the SL6 with me. Looking forward to some mountain winter riding. Thanks for the video.
I have a 2020 SL5 with the 105 group set. Ive upgraded the wheels to the paradigm Comp 25's, saddle, and replaced the handlebars to the specialized carbon Hover Bars. I also put a redshift suspension stem on it. It really takes out the some of the bigger hits. You might want to try it if you're look for something like the feel of the future shock.
The red shift stem is interesting, but from a fit perspective it's a challenge as it goes in an arcing motion changing your reach and stack at the same time.
They are truly fun bikes to ride I have the 2018 SL6 with ultegra group set. Currently running 40c tyres but have had 32m road tyres and done some road cycling. Great review and video. Stay safe 💪
Appreciate this video. I’m hooked on your presentations of the bikes you review. Like you I’m 5’9” and usually ride a medium frame but with Trek I’m a large. Any reason why their frames feel small?
Hey James! Great channel man. I’ve been thinking of getting a mountain bike but then I don’t really intend on riding on hard trails so I’m considering a gravel bike. You know, just riding on the road and some trails as well. But the thing is I have ZERO experience riding a drop bar and have no idea how to shift. You think it’s advisable? Since it’s kind of a big investment? Thanks man. And ride safe!
Thanks for a great review! Do you sense that the rack mounts could amply accommodate a rack and 30 - 35 pounds in panniers in the back, and perhaps 20 pounds in the front (assuming I stay well below Trek’s max spec of 275 pounds)? It's not easy to find a carbon bike with Ultegra or GRX 800 series that confidently carries the weight I like for a week of touring.
No gloves? I grimace thinking about falling in gravel without my paws protected. I see that a lot of road riders go without gloves. I suppose you have better feel and control on the levers. How is your Gopro mic'd up? I can't get mine to not have so much wind noise using the internal mic. It is several years old, so maybe the new ones are good with cancelling out wind noise? Great video as always. I see folks in other parts of the country with so much dirt and gravel nearby and it makes me jealous. There are some nice trails a few miles from where I live, but I haven't found a safe route to bike there. Eventually, that segment of trails will link up with a closer segment that I can easily and safely ride to, so I am looking forward to that.
I agree on the gloves. I went down once years ago without them. Road or gravel rash on your hands is miserable. I'd ride without a helmet before no gloves if I could only choose one.
Hi James, What’s your advice on size for a 2022 Trek Checkpoint SL5. A 54 or 56? I am 5’8.5” with a 32” inseam. My current bike is a 2017 Felt VR 5, an endurance adventure bike at size 54cm. I feel it’s a little long. I’m 72 and ride mostly on hoods or tops. Lars Halstrom Seattle
Nice video man! How do you feel about the rear damping with isospeed compared to the Diverge? Did you have a carbon seatpost on that as well? I'm trying to decide between one of them, often riding rough grassy terrain with invisible but painful bumps. I don't mind road chatter or bumps on the wrists too much, but I'm looking for a frame that has good compliance in the back to reduce pain from those bumbs. Cheers!
The Garmin looks a decent size screen , what model is it , have you done a review. Thanks 👍 nice bike , my cash won’t reach to new checkpoint so waiting for a used one to surface
Nice insta plug 😁 That color way is so nice James! I’m jealous of that GRX clutch... curious if it’s possible to mix/match with any of the road group sets?
@@Jamesthebikeguy I get it. I'm a janitor and hanging on to my job this year has been my priority. Bought two Schwinn boundarys this spring for my son and I. Spent most of the summer fighting with Pacific to get a refund. They have the bikes and are assessing them. So I am left with my 04 Schwinn commuter so not much riding here.
I am currently waiting for my Trek Checkpoint. Thanks so much for the review. Where do you ride if you don’t mind me asking? Where are you from? I am sure I can’t find trails like these in SoCal 😕
Great video. Have an opportunity to purchase this bike and curious on your overall opinion since you’ve have it for a bit now. Are you overall happy with the bike? What are your pros and cons?
Great video James, was waiting for this video and you didn’t disappoint. I wanted this bike but was unable to find a UK stockist who could get hold of one, but I did manage to get last years model which is basically the same frame and wheels with Ultegra. Well it’s the best bike I’ve owned it just feels awesome to ride on the rough stuff it’s just so comfortable. I was going to exchange the wheels for some hunt 35s but to be honest these wheels are rolling really nice with my speed not to far off my road bike average. Anyway look forward to your next video. Cheers.
Hey James! Thanks for the tour! I was at a local dealer today here in Germany and I tried Cannondale Lefty vs. Trek Domane (no Checkpoint available at the moment). The Trek felt just right while the Cannondale was a bit too short for me. I am now planning to get either Domane or Checkpoint, the latter being more versatile, probably. 38 mm would also fit on the Domane though. Any thoughts / recommendations on this decision? Best wishes to you and all the others out there!
Honestly it was a tough call between the Domane and the checkpoint but and the end, I went checkpoint for the sliding dropouts and the slightly more performance geometry. Really I think the Domane can do just about everything a checkpoint can and likely rides a little bit smoother and comfier as well
Hey James. Excellent video. I enjoy and appreciate your work and expertise. I would like to know your opinion on the Redshift ShockStop Suspension Stem on a hybrid/fitness bike. Thank you.
Any thoughts on size for a 6'3 to 6'4 rider? If I can even find one. I'm also looking at the Canyon but again they just extended the expected in stock date.
Thanks for the video. I am considering this bike for Southern Tier coast to coast ride. Do you think it would handle racks, fenders, panniers and 40 pounds of gear?
I believe there's a 275lb total weight capacity on this bike. and if you distributed the 40 lb of load across the bike I think it would work out pretty good for that
5'8/9" and its a size 56cm. Not I run a real short stem on the bike and chose a 56cm for additional stack height and to set the bike up with a longer front center. 54cm would be the typical choice at my height.
Why choose Honda over Toyota? Because thats what someone wants. I had V1 Diverge and really liked it. This time around I wanted something different and really like this bike too. Hard to go wrong.
