After 500 km on the Trek Checkpoint+, I can say this bike always makes me want to ride farther than I plan to. Every time I throw a leg over it, I end up adding another climb or another section of gravel I’ve never explored before. It doesn’t matter if it’s windy, if the route is mostly uphill or the people I’m with seem superhuman. It’s the kind of bike that sparks daydreams about quitting real life and riding to wherever the horizon takes you.
E-bikes and new ride friends
The real test of the Checkpoint+ came when local legend Jody Wilson rolled past my driveway one Sunday morning. Wilson seems physically incapable of having a bad day on the bike. He mentioned he was riding to Banks—a route with 500 m of climbing along 20 km. Uncharacteristically, I said, “Hey, can I join you?” I wouldn’t have asked if I had a non-assist bike. I do not have the legs for a Jody ride. But with the Checkpoint+, I hung on. In fact, I didn’t slow him down. It was a reminder of what an ebike really does: it expands possibilities.
TQ’s colour display lets you easily keep tabs on the TQ-HPR60 drive system. Image: Colin Field
Range anxiety vs. expanded horizons
The one caveat: I think the unit I was testing may have had an issue. For me, the range never matched the estimates put out by the app. I consistently got about 40 km of riding in. It didn’t seem to matter which assist mode I used. The app would optimistically predict 70 km and then fall short.
Trek’s support team responded quickly and told me to see a dealer for diagnostics and firmware updates. The dealer service tool allows access to settings and revisions that the app can’t touch. If I had had the bike for longer, I’d absolutely follow up on that.
Range concerns aside, every time I took out the Checkpoint+, I rode farther than I expected to. I rode it on gravel, asphalt, singletrack, rail trail and backcountry winter roads. The RockShox Rudy XPLR fork felt planted and gave enough travel to smooth out rough sections. The IsoSpeed rear flex stays took the sting out of unexpected bumps. I’m 5’10” and found the M/L size frame fit perfectly. The stock tires are 42-mm wide. Without fenders attached, the frame and fork accept tires as wide as 50 mm.
Trek’s IsoSpeed design with its decoupled seat tube helps to mitigate vibrations and keep the rider fresher over the long haul. The Checkpoint+ is dropper-post compatible. Image: Colin Field
Parts and design of the Trek Checkpoint+
Trek spec’d this bike well. The SRAM XO Eagle AXS T-Type derailleur and SRAM Force AXS E1 shifters were flawless. The 12-speed cassette provided the right range of gear ratios for most of the climbs in my area. When something was too steep, switching to Turbo mode provided the extra oomph I needed.
One of the smart design choices is wiring the derailleur into the main battery, which means you only need to charge one thing. I did manage to kill the battery entirely on one ride, thankfully close to home because I could no longer shift gear. Usually, even at zero per cent, a depleted TQ battery that doesn’t have enough juice to run the motor will provide about 300 shifts.
Final word: Trek Checkpoint+ delivers quiet power
The TQ-HPR60 motor is the star of this bike. It’s quiet to the point of being unnoticeable. When I rode with others, the rest of the bunch couldn’t tell I was on an ebike. It provides just enough assist to make big days possible without overwhelming the feel of the ride. The motor controls are cleverly positioned, too, with the buttons falling naturally under your thumbs at the base of the hoods.
The Trek Checkpoint+ delivers everything I want from an e-gravel bike: comfort, capability, high-end components and a motor that makes huge days possible. My only complaint is the inconsistent battery range, but that feels like a solvable issue. As for the riding experience, it is great. I still catch myself fantasizing about loading a handlebar bag and pointing it toward some far-off destination. If that’s the feeling an ebike is meant to deliver, the Checkpoint+ nails it.
Trek Checkpoint+ SL 7 AXS
Components SRAM X0 Eagle AXS T-Type derailleur with 12-speed, 10–52 tooth X0 Eagle cassette and Praxis Alloy crankset, Force AXS shifter, Bontrager Pro Gravel handlebar
Drive System 60-Nm TQ-HPR60 with 360-Wh battery
Suspension RockShox Rudy XPLR with 40 mm of travel
Wheels Bontrager Aeolus Elite 35V carbon wheels with 42c Bontrager Girona Pro tires
Sizes S, M, M/L, L, XL
Price $10,000
Website trekbikes.com
