Trek Checkpoint SL 5

My "all-road" or gravel bike is a 2022 Trek Checkpoint SL 5.

I received this bike on April 1, 2022.

I'm not thrilled about taking my road bike, with 28mm tires, on the Katy trail. And there are trails/roads with much rougher gravel than the Katy. My Sirrus, with its bigger tires, is better suited to the surface. However, my hybrid is definitely not as fast of a bike. It seems like the obvious solution would be an all-road bike.

I will be buying a gravel bike and calling it an all-road bike. A gravel bike is closer to what I want than a cyclocross bike or a touring bike.

This will also become my "bike-hike" bike. To that end, it should be finished in a color that is easy to hide in the woods. And finally, it needs to be compatible with some kind of pannier system, because it will be the bike that I use for bikepacking the Katy trail.

• 500 Series OCLV carbon frame, IsoSpeed, carbon fork
• 142x12mm rear thru axle, 100x12mm front thru axle
• Teravail Washburn (Light & Supple) 700x42c tires
• 46/30t chainring, 11-34t 11 speed cassette (0.882 to 4.182 ratio)
• hydraulic disc brakes
• Bontrager Aeolus Elite Saddle, 155mm
• Garmin Rally XC100 SPD power meter pedals
• Garmin Speed Sensor 2
• 21.39 lbs

Shifters: Shimano GRX ST-RX800

Front Derailleur: Shimano GRX FD-RX810
Chainring: Shimano GRX 11S 46-30 NF
Rear Derailleur: Shimano GRX RD-RX810
Cassette: Shimano 105 CS-HG700-11
Crank: Shimano GRX FC-RX600 170mm

Front Brake: Shimano GRX BR-RX400
Front Disc: Shimano SLX RT-70S 160mm
Rear Brake: Shimano GRX BR-RX400
Rear Disc: Shimano SLX RT-70S 160mm

Max Tire Size 700c: 45mm
Max Tire Size 650b: 53.5mm (2.1")

Choice

My bike is a Trek Checkpoint SL 5, size 52, in Satin Mercury / Satin Carbon Smoke. It has a carbon frame & fork, which has 700x45c tire clearance, but comes with 40mm tires, 21mm rims. IsoSpeed. 46/30 x 11-34 (0.882 to 4.182). Hydraulic disc brakes. 21.38 lbs. $3230. This is basically a gravel version of my Émonda.

Wheelsets + Tires

I now have two wheelsets for this bike, so that I can easily swap out to my touring set-up.

Even though I am buying a "gravel" bike, I really intend to use it on fairly innocuous gravel and also on pavement. I thought, therefore, that what I wanted was touring tires. However, it turns out that touring tires sacrifice rolling resistance for longevity. Doing more research, there are gravel tires with center slicks. I have ordered tires in both categories, and I will try them out, along with the basic gravel tires that come on the bike.

Teravail Washburn (Light & Supple)

700x42c. Very fast and low rolling resistance. These are gravel tires with a center slick, and they have a very impressive transition to knobs on the sides. I suspect these will be my favorite. Weight: 575g. Oh, yeah, these look like great tires. On the rims, they measure 40.5mm at the outer knobs and 39.2mm at the sidewalls. They are marked 40-70 PSI.
Front: 32 PSI, Rear: 40 PSI

Panaracer GravelKing X1 (40mm)

700x40mm. I have switched to the 40mm version of these tires. The 45mm ones were really bouncy. So far, I'm liking these much better: no bounce, and fairly low rolling resistance. They might have slightly less traction, but it is a good trade-off.
Front: 32 PSI, Rear: 40 PSI

Panaracer GravelKing X1 (45mm)

700x45mm. Reasonably fast and low rolling resistance, but excellent traction in loose gravel, dirt, and mud. I got them specifically to handle the loose gravel trails on Mackinac Island. The 45mm tires really smooth out the bumps, but they are a little bouncy.
Front: 29 PSI, Rear: 36 PSI

Touring: Schwalbe Marathon Mondial (Evolution)

I have a set of these in 700x40c. There are two versions, and these are the Evolution line with a folding bead, Double Defense puncture protection, and TravelStar compound. They are generally regarded as "the ultimate touring tire", supposedly fast-rolling, good off-road grip. Weight: 650g. I use them when bikepacking. I run them with puncture resistant tubes, at higher pressure, partly because of the extra load. At that pressure, the ride is not so soft, but rolling resistance isn't bad. Grip on asphalt and gravel seems good. They also have a reflective strip, which is okay when bikepacking.
Front: 50 PSI, Rear: 65 PSI

Winter: Continential Top Contact Winter II

I have a set of these in 700x42mm. I hate them. They're supposed to offer some improved traction on packed snow. I have put these on my touring wheelset, with tubes. In practice, They are very heavy, and somehow also lumpy. If the snow isn't firm enough to support the tire, they sink down in unpredictable directions, making the bike wobbly.

Drivetrain

Chain: Shimano CN-HG901-11, 112 links, installed Jun 17, 2023 @ 942 miles

Rear Shifter Cable: Shimano Optislick Y60198100 [installed Sep 10, 2024 @ [2322 miles]

Touring

Wheelset: I have built a touring wheelset for this bike using the old alloy wheels that came off my Émonda.

Inner Tubes: I am using Michelin A3 Air Stop city/gravel tubes for 35-47mm tires with 40mm Presta valves (UPC: 086699217363).

Brake Pads: I assume the brake pads installed in my bike now are organic/resin. However, sintered/metallic pads are said to be "more consistent in wet and dirty conditions." I should get a set to go with the touring wheelset.