meeper24

Hi all, I wanted to get your thoughts on a couple of bikes. My main use would for this bike be about 65% road / 35% gravel - I'm mostly looking for a road-focused gravel bike. I'd be riding this in mostly flat terrain in the midwest.

The gravel options that I'm looking at are:

1. Cervelo Aspero GRX 810
2. Trek Checkpoint SL6 eTap

Two more road-focused options I'm looking at are:

1. Trek Domane SL 6 Rival AXS (on pinkbike buysell)
2. Giant SLR Advanced SL Disc Force 1 AXS (on pinkbike buysell)

My main concern with the two options directly above is the capability for a couple of gravel races.

Let me know what y'all think (any experience with any of the above, any other bikes to consider, etc.)

Thanks, Meeper24

Sy Reene

Going by memory and no experience with either, but I recollect that the Aspero will have a much more aggressive geometry comparable to an aero/race model.

bampilot06

Get the soloist.


Buddy traded his aspero in for a checkpoint due to the aggressive nature of the aspero geometry. He races and rides a lot.

Troul 

Domane SL6

jaxgtr

If you plan to ride that much gravel, I would probably go with the Checkpoint. I love my Domane, but CheckPoint gives more tire options for when you are on Gravel. The owner of the LBS I shop at a lot, moved to a CheckPoint, said it is the best of both worlds as he does about 45% gravel. He has 2 wheels sets, one gravel and one road. I was looking at them heavily, but I am primarily road based with a very small amount of gravel, so I opted for the Domane.

ussprinceton

But the real standout was that Vermeersch won the first-ever UCI Gravel World Championships in Italy on his Canyon Ultimate CFR road bike. He’d kitted it out for gravel, of course, but, notably, the roadie and cyclocross racer opted for a road bike versus one of Canyon’s stellar gravel options.

biker128pedal

Go for the Checkpoint. I have a Domane SL6 with two sets of wheels. Stock wheels are for Gravel and a set of Aeolus 51s for road. The gravel tires are 38mm. It will fit a little larger. The Checkpoint will fit larger tires for more comfort. I may get a Checkpoint in the future for the comfort.

Russ Roth

Looking at geometry, the cervelo is basically a cross bike that takes wider tires and is based on road bike geometry, perfect for mostly road riding wih some gravel.

Troul 

Something I've wondered is, how is gravel riding described by an individual?

If it's driveway like gravel [#2 - 2A] I'd think 32 to 38 tires would be fine, as that's from my own experiences.
What is the OP aiming for in regards to gravel riding?

meeper24

Mostly category 2 gravel. Occasionally some category three during gravel races.

Troul 

I'm not sure what category translates to WRT #2 & 2A gravel specifications, but if it's 1.5" then I'd be inclined to use the 32 to 38 tire ranges.

meeper24

Would you recommend a Domane with wider tires on that terrain?

t2p

my opinion -

32 mm is barely sufficient for crushed limestone bike paths

35 - 40+ mm is better for gravel and occasional off road (single track, etc)

tempocyclist

From memory the Domane tops out at a 35mm tyre max at a squeeze. It'll eat up smoother gravel easily and be pretty quick! That might be enough for you (and if I were riding more road than gravel that'd be a good choice) but tyre clearance with a 35 will be limited. If it gets gnarly in the race, or rains, or you find mud, or you hit some techy / loose stuff, you'll want for a bigger tyre! The Checkpoint can take 45mm tyres, which is plenty for any gravel you'll encounter. If you don't need that much tyre, go narrower and you'll still have a pretty competent road bike.

It really depends on how much gravel you will actually be riding. The Checkpoint will give you more options if you really delve into gravel later on. I've only commented on the two Treks as I've had experience with them. Others can chime in on the other options.

Oh and the UCI Gravel Champs was won on a Canyon Ultimate CFR road bike, but the course was very tame. Most gravel races a way more gravel than that!

Troul 

thats what i'd roll with.

how much do you weigh on a heavy day? If you're a heavier person, the wider Checkpoint capability might make more sense to keep the suppleness using the much wider tires it can fit.

biker128pedal

See if you can test ride both the Domane and Checkpoint. The 2023 Checkpoints are supposed to have different geometry. This may help your decision.

My 2021 Domane SL6 will take 38mm tires with room to spare. I’ve read 41mm fits for dry conditions. If I bought again I’d get the Checkpoint for additional tire clearance. Buuut I’d get or convert to 2x. That’s just me. Still need to look at the chainrings offered. Checkpoint SL7 2x is 43/30. Domane SL7 is 59/34. Too much to think about.

Edit. I had not looked Seems like the 1x Checkpoints have 40 chainring.

meeper24

Currently only about 155lbs haha.

Chandne

I was on 35 and 38s and even on smoother gravel, I prefer 40-44. If you want a smoother and lighter but quicker handling gravel bike, look at the Santa Cruz Stigmata. They are on sale now. Read some reviews online since there are a few good ones. I have one now and it is sort of in between a road and gravel bike but with 45mm tire clearance. It is also pretty comfy and handles well at slower speeds due to its not-too-long wheelbase.

ctak

I'd recommend test riding these models if you can. Lots of fast rolling 38-44mm tires are avail (RH extralights, for example) and I wouldn't bother with frames that couldn't easily clear 700x38. Didn't think I'd like the Aspero but a friend let me test ride his v5 (1010g frame, 440g fork) 56cm with grx 810 and everything about it - including the spirited geo and stiff chassis - felt great with Barlow Pass 38s. Also liked the standard 27.2 sp diameter.

phrantic09

I’d get the Aspero. It can handle most of your gravel situations and is an excellent road bike. It’s also a very fast gravel bike and a total joy to ride

I rode it down a class IV non maintained road through 3-6 inch deep mud 2 weeks ago and it was just fine with 40mm tires.

Not that weight matters much, but the Aspero will probably be lighter than the Domane and Checkpoint as well (unless you’re getting an SLR)

goingup

I have a 2020 Checkpoint that I love. I have two separate sets of wheels/tires, and it switches comfortably between gravel racing, road racing, and touring, with me never feeling like I'm giving up all that much. I do about 60/40 road and gravel.

That said, Trek changed the Checkpoint geometry in 2023 in what looks, on paper, to make for some rather odd geometry, and I can't say for sure how I'd like it without riding one. The top tubes have gotten much longer, the stack has been reduced, the wheelbase extended, and trail increased. Basically they seem to be making the Checkpoint more hardcore for gravel. If you ride mostly road, I'd probably be leaning toward the Domane, my only concern would be that I like 40mm as a sweet spot for a gravel tire that isn't awful on pavement, yet can get me through even class 3 gravel without too much issue. I believe the Domane tops out at 38.

tempocyclist

I'd put money on the Aspero being noticeably lighter, the SL-range Checkpoint is a chunky monkey.

If all options on the list were the same price, I'd go the GRX equipped Aspero too. It's a cracking bike for on and off road. Here the Aspero is around $2k more than the equivalent Checkpoint, a fair chunk of change. For that it'd be worth looking at the Checkpoint plus a second set of deeper road wheels.

...but the Cervelo Aspero is LUSH! 😍

meeper24

The Aspero that I'd be looking at is the GRX810 which is mechanical and $500 less than the Checkpoint SL6. My apologies if I didn't make it clear - I believe you're thinking of the GRX815 (electronic shifting).

The GRX815 does look great though.

msu2001la

I wouldn't put too much stock into what the pros raced in this event. These guys are paid to suffer and willing to make a lot more sacrifices for speed than your average gravel racer. Their equipment choices don't always translate to what consumers should be using.

Totally agree with this. The Aspero looks like a fantastic option for a more race-focused gravel bike that can also function well as a road bike.


I'd probably still lean towards the Aspero - GRX 800 11sp mechanical is fantastic (I have this groupset on my SuperX for cross/gravel and some road riding and love it). You can always upgrade to electronic in a few years if you've really got a hankering for that.

Eric F 

Additionally, the World Champ course was pretty mild, as far as gravel/dirt challenges. The average US gravel race tends to be more demanding, in that regard.