2019 Trek Checkpoint ALR 5 Women’s (Gravel Bike)

So I’ve been eyeing up the gravel bikes for some time now.  I love Trek bikes and I’ve been doing some research.  I was looking at the Domane SL 5 Gravel bike, but I already have a Domane (Trek Domane 5.2 WSD Road Bike), and to me, the Domane SL 5 Gravel bike, was basically a road bike with bigger tires.  Sorry, but that is how I feel about that.

I was looking at the Checkpoint bikes, I believe those to be true gravel bikes.  I didn’t really want to spend the money for another carbon bike, so this time, I went with the aluminum and scoped out the Checkpoint ALR 5 Women’s gravel bike,:

“Checkpoint ALR 5 Women’s is the best value gravel bike in the lineup. It’s a high-quality build that will that hold up for long, rugged miles on pavement, dirt, and even the most treacherous gravel roads. But what sets this model apart is the performance parts and the wealth of features like adjustable Stranglehold dropouts, massive tire clearance, and extra mounts that make it easy to customize for your kind of adventure.”

2019 Trek Checkpoint ALR 5 Women’s Gravel Bike

I was so excited to get this bike and the weather just sucked when I went to get it, it was actually snowing, so I had to keep it inside for a while.  What I really love about this bike is that I feel confident while riding it and getting off the road to the side of the road where there is dirt and debris.  Normally, I’d cringe at the thought of that while on my road bike, now I don’t worry and I just go.  The bike handles well and the disc brakes aren’t really that different from my road bike, which does not have disc brakes.  The bike shop mechanic warned me about the disc brakes but I really didn’t find them much different.

So I had them take of the plastic reflectors and I invested in a nice red flashing light for the back and a bright white light for the front.  It took me a little while to get the seat adjusted.  The gravel bikes start at 49cm.  My road bike is a 47cm, so I was not sure about the 49cm and the difference that it would make.  One of the guys at the bike shop is an avid mountain biker and he said the “geometry is different”, whatever that meant.  So I think when they got it in, knowing that my road bike is 47cm, they were not sure if the 49cm would work, so everything including the seat were at the lowest levels.  I really had to move the seat up and I’m still adjusting it.  I have been fitted on my road bike twice but didn’t want to spend the money for a fitting on the gravel bike as I plan on riding it on back roads and the trails around Northeast Pennsylvania.  So far, the fit seems to be going well and I’m enjoying my new gravel bike purchase.

Even though it looks black, it’s actually “British Racing Green”.  I like the green color, it’s sharp and the bike is durable.  I think it will last a long time.  I also like the “look and the feel” of the bike, it looks similar to my road bike and has the road bike handle bars, as opposed to a mountain bike look.  Mountain bikes also have wider tires which I do not like and did not want to got that route.

Now if I only had more time, time to ride that is.  It’s coming.  The class that I’m teaching is wrapping up on May 2nd and I’m caught up on my grades, so it shouldn’t be an issue to wrap that up soon.  I’m also looking forward to next Sunday’s charity bike ride and really any opportunity to get out on my bike.