Best Buy Gravel Bike! TREK CHECKPOINT SL 5

[@JimLangley1]

★ WATCH this video next to see a historic vintage gravel bike kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3XVY5SCj52rgaM

[@jdh1976sr]

Great review. I have had a 2023 Checkpoint SL5 for about a year now. I love mine.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks Jason, glad you enjoyed the review and happy you’re loving your Checkpoint too. Mine’s still a thrill to ride.

[@solodad001]

Thanks for review. I used to live on LHC, spent a lot of time out there from Kingman to Bagdad to Signal.

[@JimLangley1]

You're very welcome, thank you for watching and commenting! It's sure a nice place, we enjoyed it a lot!

[@johnsampson2544]

Nice overview. I have an SL5 in the radioactive red, that I ordered last Halloween, sitting at my local shop. I saw her yesterday when they did some seat and bars height measurements. I'd be picking her up today, but we're waiting on the dropper post they had to order. The one I originally had them order was too large. ☹ I'm hoping to take her home this weekend. I've been doing mostly paved riding the last 4 seasons on a Marlin 7 hardtail (1550 miles last season). I'm shooting for 2000 mi this year.

[@eugencristea1585]

Hi John, what kind of dropper post you installed on your bike? I just bought an SL5 too and can’t wait to take out for a ride. Thanks.

[@johnsampson2544]

@@eugencristea1585 The shop had to order a different dropper than the one I originally ordered, since that one was too long. I'll check when I get home, or call the shop, and let you know.

[@johnsampson2544]

@@eugencristea1585 The dropper post is an Easton EA70 AX dropper post - 27.2mm X 350mm with 50mm drop

[@charliepot]

great review this guy deserves more viewers and subscribers

[@JimLangley1]

Hey thanks so much for watching and the awesome comment Charlie - really appreciate it!🙏

[@f1hotrod527]

Looking at the SL6 (mostly for the 1X etap). I just bought a mountain bike and the 1X electric shifted drivetrain is just something that you can't go back from. Also looking at the Lauf Seigla which is kind of out there, but roughly the same pricing. My mountain bike also has the in frame storage, this is another thing that you will always want after you have had it. Great video, beautiful bike.

[@JimLangley1]

Yeah, with the current sale pricing Trek is offering the higher level better spec'd Checkpoints are sure looking good. That Lauf is interesting and their pricing is good too. It looks like those bikes are designed around their proprietary forks, which makes sense. I think that would mean that if you ever needed to run a standard fork that it might not work at all. Still, if you could do it, the best test is to ride both bikes and see which one fits you best and rides best. I haven't ridden the Lauf so I can't say how it performs. This SL 5 has been great. My only complaint is the the Isospeed suspension doesn't do anything, at least that I can feel. Now maybe it's because I only weigh 150 pounds. But I have slammed this bike over all manner of drops, ruts, roots and rocks and I haven't felt any give at all except a tiny bit in the carbon seatpost. Maybe your SL 6 being a year later model will have an Isospeed the does work - another good reason for a test ride. Have fun deciding and please let me know which you get and how you like it. Thanks for watching and the great comment! 🙏

[@JimLangley1]

Congratulations on the new bike! 🚴 I think you’re going to love it. Look forward to hearing what you think. Thanks a lot for watching and commenting!

[@Bob-ze1zo]

Thank you! I ordered the 2024 model of this bike this morning. Should arrive somewhere in april. The bikeshop gave me a really good discount so I couldn't resist buying this bike. Happy trails Jim!

[@JimLangley1]

My pleasure Bob and congrats on your new bike, you're going to love it. It's great the shop gave you a nice discount too - well done! Here's to keeping the rubber side down and tons of fun! 🚴

[@JimS870]

DId yours come with the Praxis crank, or the GRX?

[@Bob-ze1zo]

@@JimS870 Hi Jim. The bike is ordered, not yet delivered. But I will not except the Praxis crank. The Trek website says GRX crank so that's what I want. The bikeshop where I ordered the bike has good service so that shouldn't be a problem.

[@JimLangley1]

@@JimS870 thanks for watching and asking Jim - my bike came with the Praxis crank, which you can see in the video. Thanks.

[@Bob-ze1zo]

@@JimS870 Hi Jim, I picked up the bike last week. To answer your question: it came with the Shimano GRX600 crank.

[@winnmahuron6314]

That is a real interesting bike Jim. My second bicycle that I purchased in the mid-80’s was a Trek and I continued riding them through the late 90’s. I currently ride a Lightspeed and a Lynskey. Your bike makes me look at carbon a little bit but I think my next carbon frame will be a Time frame. I really like your channel. -Winn

[@JimLangley1]

@@winnmahuron6314 thanks a lot Winn, appreciate you watching and the great comment! I own a Trek MTB and a Litespeed Vortex - great bikes. Time’s bike should be very nice.

[@neugentcycling938]

Jim - Nice bike and hat! You got out of the California rain and snow week. I don't know if you have done one or more videos on how equipment has changed over the last 40-50 years but you would have excellent insight into it. I started riding in the '60s and suspect you were not that long to follow. There is an intricate history of not only the product evolution but also the strategies various companies used in offering new product. Heck, there's probably a book that can be written on the Trek story alone. Featuring the management teams before Dick Burke, followed by the evolution of their product development team Harry Spehar through Joe Vadeboncoeur (the last one I personally dealt with.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks a lot for watching and the great comment, John. I was riding in the 60s as a tourist - the White Mountains of New Hampshire being a favorite destination. But, I wasn't a mechanic yet and was just learning by keeping my brother's Schwinn Varsity going (he let me use it) until I got my first road bike a Raleigh International. I haven't done any comprehensive videos but I have some that touch on interesting components, bikes of historic import in my opinion, such as Cinelli Bivalent hubs kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIvKeHV5fdWbqa8 and my 1886 Victor highwheel kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGiUdKeneMmmaLs I have been lucky to be a cycling journalist since 1983 and as part of that I've seen and used so many products and bikes over the years. It would be a big project to cover it all well 😊I enjoyed working with Harry Spehar when I was at Bicycling Magazine, great guy.

[@scottbowman5673]

Got the same one and love it.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching and commenting Scott, great to hear your love yours too! 🙏

[@FLG8r]

I am intrigued about gravel biking; seems like good mix of a suspension mountain biking and road cycling; I have a Trek Fuel EX 8 and a Madden 5.2 - maybe, it's time to add to my collection and get a gravel bike

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching and commenting FLG8r. I'm enjoying gravel riding a lot except for really rough trails. It's too much like a road bike and you take a beating even if you run the tires soft. Now the SL 5 is known as a stiff carbon bike and its supposed Isospeed suspension doesn't really do anything as far as I've been able to determine reaching out to Trek and the bicycle shop. So if you were wanting to ride rough trails you might want to look for a G bike with some actual suspension. But, if you're looking for a great bike for pavement and dirt roads and nice smooth trails, this Checkpoint is excellent. My favorite thing and I think I said this in the video - is that if the traffic is bad on a road you have to ride on, if there's a shoulder, no matter how bad it is, you can ride on it and get further away from the cars. If you did that on a road bike you'd flat or might even lose control and crash. If you decide to get one I'll be interested to hear what you get and how you like it. Thanks again and happy shopping!

[@timhenderson9794]

Ive decided to buy an extra set of road tires. 32mm Continental GP5000, strict for road rides. Looking forward to running both tires

[@JimLangley1]

That's a good idea, Tim. I now have a second set of wheels so that I can put my 45mm tires for more technical terrain on one set of wheels and my road tires on the other set (still haven't bought the tires but they'll probably be from Specialized since lots of my friends love theirs). With 2 wheel setups it's easier to swap wheels than having to change tubeless tires with the sealant. But I need to get a second set of rotors and another cassette yet to get the second wheelset really fast to swap. So it's a lot of money to get it all going. But that's my plan. Thanks for the watch and sharing your setup, appreciate it!

[@timhenderson9794]

@@JimLangley1 right on man, I'm gonna go with the two tires first and see how it goes then maybe buy another wheelset. Do I have to add sealant every time I change the tires?

[@JimLangley1]

@@timhenderson9794 when you change tubeless tires what you do is check how much wet sealant you still have in them. What I do is use an injector like this one I got from Park Tool: amzn.to/43lC1Px I take the valve core out of the valve, put the injector needle down inside the tire through the valve. The valve needs to be at the bottom, 6 o'clock. Then you can pull out all the sealant into the injector. The gauge on the side shows how much is in the injector and the injector won't leak so the sealant is ready to put back in again when the tire is back on. If you need more sealant because some dried up inside the tire, you can just put the needle in the bottle of sealant and pull some more into the injector. It makes it a lot easier than the other way of taking the tire off and trying not to spill any sealant from inside the tire -- that's doable but not easy, it often ends up in a big mess and sealant all over the floor 🤣 Also, since the injector removes all the sealant it's much easier taking the tubeless tires off. There will still be some sealant in the tire and on the wheel but you can wipe it off with a rag pretty quick and be ready to pop on the tire then squirt the sealant in with the injector, replace the valve core, pump it up and seat the tire and be ready to ride. Okay? Hope this helps and enjoy those new tires!!

[@ericmain30]

I only have a TT bike and living in iowa with a million dirt and gravel roads it makes sense to get a decent gravel bike. Looking at the checkpoint SL5 tomorrow. Hopefully will give my speed concept a sibling

[@JimLangley1]

I think you'll enjoy the ride and performance, Eric. Let me know what you think after you try it out and thanks for watching!

[@SprintTri57]

I am looking to get this exact model. I have a 2023 Trek SLR 7 gen 4 and love it. I really like the Di2 electronic shifting. However, I feel better with mechanical on the gravel bike (traveling, camping, etc and not worrying about charging the battery) Be sure to put some tape on the Bontrager tool. It can slip out according to another Trek review

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks a lot for watching and commenting! I think you'll love the SL 5. Since you've got Di2 on your SLR 7 you'll notice right away how much slower the mechanical shifting is, especially the front derailleur, but you do get used to it and you're right about having to charge it. I was on a cross country driving trip with one of my Di2 bikes and I forgot to bring my charger. I stopped at 3 shops across the country to find one that could charge the battery for me and none of the shops had the right charger. Luckily the battery kept shifting until I got back home. I appreciate the tip on taping the Bontrager tool. I haven't had it slip yet but it can't hurt to prevent it moving. Thanks again and enjoy that bike when you get it!

[@peterwilliamson4296]

Hi Jim, loved your presentation and location. Yes this bike looks quite versatile with the carbon frame and comfortable tyes compared to a standard road bike. I have pondered buying a cheap 2nd hand carbon road bike and putting lower gears on it but the frames don't allow bigger tyes in many cases. This appears worth the spend. I would put an energy bar in that frame space. Best wishes from New Zealand.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks so much for watching and the kind words, Peter, I'm happy you enjoyed the show. I actually hadn't thought of carrying an energy bar in the frame - thanks for giving me that tip! I'm also going to add the smallest chain tool I have because just yesterday one of the guys I was riding with broke his e-bike chain and no one was carrying one (I carry one of my road and mountain bikes but forget yesterday to pack it). That storage compartment is a neat feature. Specialized has them on some of their bikes too. My next plan with this bike is to set up a second pair of wheels with more aggressive tires - wider and knobbier. That way it'll be quick and easy to switch wheels for mostly ride rides versus mostly gravel/trail rides. I think the versatility of these gravel bikes is what makes them so much fun. If you decide to get one let me know how you like it and how you set it up. Thanks again!

[@Miles-g5y]

Hi Jim, loved the review. Where is that water bottle from? Saw the exact one on another review of the same color bike and want it for mine when it gets in a couple week. Thanks!

[@JimLangley1]

Hey, thanks for watching Miles, glad you enjoyed my review and I’m happy to hear your bike’s on the way, you’re gonna love it. That’s a Silca bottle on my bike. Here’s the link silca.cc/collections/bottle-cages/products/silca-mondrian-water-bottle Let me know how you like your bike!

[@jeffreyrule8143]

Thank you for your review.

[@JimLangley1]

My pleasure Jeffrey! If you end up buying one, please share what you think of it. Thanks a lot for watching and commenting 🙏

[@helenclement4047]

Great. Thanks Jimmy

[@JimLangley1]

My pleasure Helen, thanks for watching and commenting, appreciate it!

[@Bikeops2021]

Nice bike Jim. I invested in my first brand new bike last year, not gravel tho, not really in to that. I bought a Trek Xcaliber hardball mtb. I like it a lot with its 29er wheels, disc brakes & internal cable routing, although I hear some of the cables rattling inside the tubes on rough terrain. Having said all that, I still like to jump back on my old 26 specialized retros! Thanks for sharing, Jim.

[@JimLangley1]

You're very welcome, Graham, thanks for watching and the great comment. The X-Caliber is one of Trek's famous models so I'm not surprised you're enjoying it so much - congrats on getting it!

[@ylana4444]

I have the same bike Xcaliber and am really enjoying it. It’s so solid! I am however also intrigued by these gravel bikes and thinking of upgrading my road bike. It’s a 2014 Domane. I’m thinking of getting a Domane SL or Checkpoint SL to add to my quiver…. Will be out shopping soon!

[@vladimira.shestakov2493]

Thanx man! Perfect bike and useful video! Good luck! 👍🏻🚲🚲🚲

[@JimLangley1]

It's my pleasure Vladimir! Glad you found the video helpful and really appreciate you commenting! 🙏🚴

[@sk360flip]

I just ordered this bike and the two weeks can’t come fast enough.

[@ylana4444]

I wanna get one …..I test rode it and it’s amazing…but the colors… :(. Waiting for 2024 hoping for better colors! Not sure if I can wait that long tho!

[@JimLangley1]

Great to hear that your test ride was amazing ylanda. I hear you on the colors, that's why I went with this pretty boring grey. If you get a Checkpoint let me know how you like it.

[@zer0kelvin212]

I love the GRX groupset! I bought the entry level GRX used for a very nice price. Hydraulic disc brakes make a big difference! Easy to bleed. Did you put one of your hand laced carbon wheels on this bike? kind regards sir

[@JimLangley1]

Great to hear from you Zer0 and thanks for watching and commenting. I think GRX is great too. I haven't built any wheels for this bike because Elite Wheels asked me to test their carbon spoked carbon gravel wheels the DRIVE G45s so I've been riding on them for a couple of months now and liking them a lot - incredibly light. I did a video about them here if you're interested. I have beat them up pretty good but they don't seem to mind at all kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZ3GoYp6gK6Ia5Y

[@otonielduarte2631]

I got the last 2023 SL5 in Oregon on clearance for $2,100

[@JimLangley1]

Wow, great job and congratulations on your new bike and that super price! I think you're going to love it. Let me know!

[@kentheckethorn8921]

Hi Jim, Nice Trek. Back in 2019 I upgraded from my 1971 Nishiki/American Eagle 10 speed to the Trek DS4. Upgraded to a wider tire to have a bit more grip along the sandy bike trails around Big Bear lake. On my old 10 speed, skidding into trees on the downhill was a bit frightening. The DS4 truly hugs the road. Really makes coming back down from Mirror Lake in Yosemite a more enjoyable ride. Faster and much more stable than my 50 year old Nishiki. Still have the old bike but more of a wall hanger now. A true Relic From The Past.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching and the great comment, Kent! Nice to hear from you again. As you know, Nishiki was a very popular brand back then and it outperformed many of its competitors in ride and build quality. The fact that you didn't upgrade until 2019 (!) is a testament to its worthiness. I'm happy to hear you're now enjoying all the advances in cycling technology on a modern Trek. Congrats!!

[@johnnyjensen8805]

Nice bike👍 I myself have the FX 4 Carbon sport (2021), if you want to upgrade, buy some carbon wheels. I upgraded with Aeolus pro 37. Don't regret it.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching and commenting, Johnny! You're right about the carbon wheels, I upgraded to these and they've been great: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZ3GoYp6gK6Ia5Ysi=d1wP2NwkHPsR2vnL

[@johnnyjensen8805]

@@JimLangley1 Hì Jim, hehe, feeling totally embarrassed! Can see you know your stuff but thanks for good information on carbon wheels, very useful👍

[@JimLangley1]

@@johnnyjensen8805 I appreciate you watching and commenting Johnny - enjoy that great bike!

[@johnnyjensen8805]

@@JimLangley1 👍

[@Alex-bl6oi]

How much does the built in suspension add to comfort?

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching and the question Alex, appreciate it! So, it’s just my opinion - I have heard from people who say it’s great - but I don’t feel any suspension at all, nothing. I do feel the carbon seatpost flex. To test my theory that it was only the seatpost, I put in a inexpensive very stiff aluminum post that is way stiffer than the carbon one. I hoped I would then feel the frame but again, nada, I feel nothing. So for me it isn’t seemingly offering the promised additional comfort. You should try it for yourself. Maybe at 160 pounds I don’t weigh enough. But people say it works for them so it could just be me.

[@russhoceanveloclub8790]

Hey Jim, I'm looking to purchase the Checkpoint SL 5 as well. I'm not sure if I should get a 54 or 56 cm. I see you're riding a 56. I'm 5'11" with about a 32.5 inseam and ride a 56 cm road bike, but looking at the geometry dimensions (i.e. effective top tube length and stack), I'm leaning toward a 54 cm. What's your recommendation? Thanks for the review!

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching Russ. You're taller than I am and your inseam is a half inch longer. You are definitely going to want to try the 58 and compare that to the 56. The 54 will be way too small for you I think. The problem will be the seat position over the crank (where your power generation comes from) and the reach to the bars will be too close - crunching your upper body up. On my bike I decided to change out the seatpost. The Bontrager post has a small setback and I couldn't get the seat far enough back. So I got another seatpost with more setback so I could move my seat back and get my pedaling position optimized. Once I did that the reach to the bars felt better, too. Before that it felt a little short. When I stood up to climb it really felt like the handlebars were too far underneath me instead of more under my shoulders where I wanted them. I think if you have an upper body the same-size as your lower body that you may feel most comfortable on the 58. For me the 58 had a slightly too long top tube. So you'll want to make sure you're not too stretched out. It should feel comfortable to reach the handlebars and comfortable to put your hands and ride on the tops, hoods and drops. So long as that's true, I think the 58 might be your best choice. It might help get your knee-over-pedal-position (the plumbline test) right too. That's important so that you have good power to pedal the bike. Okay? Hope this helps. I think you'll love the bike. Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy to help.

[@russhoceanveloclub8790]

@@JimLangley1 Thanks Jim for the quick and more than helpful response. I'm going to use it more for the road mainly on rainy days and very limited gravel, so I'm planning to set it up close to my position on my road bike. Maybe a little more of neutral upright position than my road position so when I do hit some dirt or gravel roads I won't be too far forward. Where I'm from, it's extremely flat, so when tend slam our stems to get as aero as possible. When I say flat, I mean pan flat. We do have a lot of wind. Every dimension on the 56 cm Checkpoint is two to three cm longer or taller than my road bike, so I think the 56 will work. I may have to swap the stem for a slightly longer one and/or do what you did and go with a 20 mm setback seat post. Again, thanks for the info. It's helped greatly with my purchase. Btw, I'm leaning toward the SL 5 red/navy or SL 6 with SRAM rival Etap.

[@JimLangley1]

@@russhoceanveloclub8790 you’re welcome Russ. Sounds like you’re going to be fine on the 56. If you get the eTap model that’s going to be one nice bike! Enjoy it!

[@user-ho7dp8un1u]

Actually checkpoints max tire width is 650×50c !! 1:02

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching and pointing this out, Tim. The Checkpoint comes with 700c wheels and a max 700c tire width of 45mm according to Trek. If you buy a second set of wheels or already have a set in size 650B/27.5" wheels for your Checkpoint, you can run tire widths up to 2.1" (a little wider than 50mm).

[@tvbuster]

How tall are you? I’m 5 9 and got a 56 but worried it’s too big

[@JimLangley1]

I’m 5 11 and wear jeans with a 32” inseam tvbuster. You don’t want the seatpost too low and to have to reach too far for the bars. If they made a 57 I would have got that one. Hope this is helpful and thanks for watching.

[@MrRumbledethumps]

Great vid Jim! Just ordered the Red SL5 after 6 years on a lefty shocked Slate. The slate was brilliant and served me well but ready for a change (and before that a Salsa Warbird) Looking forward to 700 wheels again, and welcome the storage and flex in the frame! All the best from Derbyshire, England 👌👍

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching and the great comment Rumbledethumps! I think you’re going to like the SL5. Please let me know what you think after you get some time on it. I haven’t spent enough time in England but I did ride some nice gravel next to where the houseboats/ barges are near Bradford on Avon when I went to visit Sir Alex Moulton. Very beautiful there.

[@MrRumbledethumps]

Hi Jim I finally got my checkpoint SL5 in Radioactive Red 😊. It's brilliant to ride. Can't believe how well it climbs out of the saddle. Sooo good. No complaints whatsoever. Cheers Nick Derbyshire UK ❤

[@JimLangley1]

@@MrRumbledethumps 🎉 congrats Nick! So glad to hear you love yours too! My favorite thing is the stability on fast descents - so fun!

[@MrRumbledethumps]

@@JimLangley1 😊 yeah it's really sorted on the geometry. Only thing I've changed are the paradigm SL wheels to Hunt Gravel X Wide. Cheers 👌

[@JimLangley1]

@@MrRumbledethumps I got a second set of wheels too 😉Elite Drive G45.

[@Mr99Burns]

How much is it

[@JimLangley1]

@@Mr99Burns right now it’s $3,199.99 at trekbikes.com but they frequently have sales with significant discounts so watch for those.