All-new gravel race bike: Trek Checkmate review

Trek has a brand new gravel race bike, the Checkmate - a departure from their original gravel bike, the Checkpoint, which continues on but as an adventure bike with more upright geo and a truckload of mounts and storage. The Checkmate is nearly 1.5 pounds lighter than the top-end Checkpoint SLR bike it replaces. In this video I’ll tell you all the pertinent details about the Trek Checkmate, how it compares to other so-called fast gravel bikes on the market, and give you my two cents on what the bike is like to ride. I’ll tell you what I really like about it, and what bugs me, and some questions I have. I have tested more than 70 gravel bikes at this point, including each and every one of the iterations of Trek’s gravel bikes going back to the short-lived stopgap - the Domane Gravel - which I called BS on six years ago. I’ll also tell you about a major change in how Trek sells its bikes (move over, Canyon) and the big news on the component front with all of Trek’s gravel bikes (no Shimano spec at all), plus what’s up with the new bolt-on bags. Checkmate SLR 9 AXS $11,999 - 7.55kg/16.65lb Checkmate SLR 8 AXS TBD Checkmate SLR 7 AXS $8,299 - 8.1kg/17.86lb Checkpoint SL 7 AXS $5,699 - 9kg /19.85lb Checkpoint SL 6 AXS $3,999 - 9.4kg/20.73lb Checkpoint SL 5 $3,199 - 9.5kg/20.95lb -- The White Line Foundation https://www.thewhiteline.org/ Trek Foundation https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/trek-foundation/ People for Bikes https://www.peopleforbikes.org/ How I make money testing bikes https://youtu.be/7FJHIexf88Q SRAM Red XPLR AXS review https://youtu.be/EMFFHlpxiiU -- The Ride is supported in 2024 by: Castelli clothing: http://tinyurl.com/43k6pftp Perc Coffee: https://tinyurl.com/etzyekwr (save 15% with code 'ride15') Giro helmets: http://tinyurl.com/72svzzxp Silca maintenance: https://bit.ly/47xxvzj (save 10% with code 'theride') First Endurance nutrition: https://bit.ly/41SDgqq (save 20% with code 'THERIDE') Shimano shoes & glasses: http://tinyurl.com/ye274tep Feedback Sports stands & tools: https://bit.ly/3S9Dq8r