Trek's Checkpoint SL 5 Is Full of Magic and Ready To Handle Cross-Country Rides on Gravel

Folks, the luscious gravel-crunching two-wheeler before is nothing other than the newest Checkpoint SL 5, a family of bicycles from Trek that I've covered before. As to why I keep coming back for more, you're about to find out, and it all starts with this beauty's price.

The moment most folks hear about a bicycle crafted out of carbon fiber, they typically turn the page or close the browser, mainly because these bicycles often cost an arm and a leg to purchase, let alone own. However, with the use of 500 OCLV carbon fiber to bring the SL 5 to life, the manufacturer was able to keep pricing down to a minimum.

At this time, this Checkpoint is selling for $3,000, which is more than what the Average Joe is willing to drop on a bicycle, be it electric or lunch-powered, but from an industry perspective, it's well in line with the norm, even a tad lower than I expected.

Some readers will argue that this is an "inflated" price, but there are clear reasons why Trek is asking this much for one of these beauties. Part of the story has to do with the magic infused into the frame. Underneath the seat, where the seat post meets the top tube and seat stays, Trek adds its famous IsoSpeed Decoupler.

If you don't know what this feature is, imagine that the seat tube is basically floating between the seat stays and separated from the top tube just enough to allow it to flex as you hit a bump. That flexion reduces the stresses and vibrations transferred to a rider, allowing us to stay in the saddle longer and more comfortably. If you want, you can compare it to a rear suspension for a hardtail and a feature spotted on some of this manufacturer's most expensive racing machines.

At the front, Trek then comes in and adds a stiff fork that's also crafted out of carbon fiber, but the real neat trick here is that the fork is tattered on cargo mounts; we'll talk more about those shortly. As a bit of a side note, since the rear of the SL 5 is nice and plush from that decoupler, why not test a gravel-destined suspension fork and see just how soft and smooth an SL 5 can be? Blasphemy? Maybe, but it's a trend I'm seeing more and more of, and why not? Twenty to 30 mm of travel on a front fork can do wonders on gravel, even allowing you to go a bit nuts on some light trails.

Speaking of trails, it's here that the cargo mounts come into play. Trek didn't just want to create a bicycle you ride to work and/or an afternoon workout, but rather, a bicycle that you can sit on until you reach the edge of town or further.

Oh, and since you've outridden yourself for the day, you can bring along all the cargo bags and panniers you may need for things like clothing, food, water, a sleeping bag or two, and even a tent; there are plenty of space-saving tents designed specifically for cyclists. Oh, there's an internal frame storage for, you know, "stuff."

Continuing our journey into this two-wheeler, we arrive at the all-important drivetrain, and as you'd expect of Trek and a gravel bicycle within this price range, Shimano is the provider behind the thrust. Here, we find a 2x12-speed GRX setup with an 11-36T cassette and crank, with 46T on one crank-wheel and 30T on the other.

Sure, you can drop a Campagnolo Ekar setup on there, but that's going to run you quite a pretty penny, over half the price of the SL 5, if I'm not mistaken. Do look into the customization abilities of the SL 5, as it has quite a few, one of which is tire size, capable of taking up to 45c cross-section tires.

Now, with all that, brakes, handlebar, seat tubes, and every other little bit that makes up a bicycle, we're looking at a two-wheeler that weighs as little as 21.5 lbs (9.75 kg) for a size 56 frame. That's light enough to make anyone happy, so there's really only one other step from here: open up your Google Maps app, search for a shop with one of these in stock, and go take it out for a spin.

Just be warned: If you're looking for a gravel bike and $3,000 just so happens to be the price limit you settled on, bring the bucks because you may be going home with a new gravel-crunching, cross-country-riding, carbon fiber bicycle. Remember to always wear a helmet while you're out there.