Surly Cross Check vs Trek Checkpoint
#1
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Surly Cross Check vs Trek Checkpoint
So I have a Trek Checkpoint SL5 that I talked myself into as my all around commuter. I ride a standard road bike for most of my riding and this gravel bike was intended for wet weather or winter commuting. The problem is that with it being carbon fiber i'm always nervous about slipping on the ice and damaging the frame. I'm also nervous about locking it up at a grocery store on the way home. Is that silly? Maybe. I bought the checkpoint used, and I talked myself into it by calling it the luxury commuter. Aside from the general unease of using a carbon bike for the rough stuff - I also get a lot of tow overlap that bugs when i'm doing track stands at stop lights. Not a huge deal but it does bother - so i'm already debating reducing tire size and crank length.
Now - i've always oggled the Surly Checkpoint but i've never actually ridden one. I have a bad habit of perusing the cycling classifieds not infrequently and i've finally come across a Cross Check that is my size with drop bars and bar end shifters - usually when I see them they are single speed and flat bar. I'm seriously considering selling the Trek Checkpoint for the Surly. I would come out with a good chunk of change for the price difference and then i'd have a steel bike that I wouldn't feel bad about it getting dinged a bit. Is the step down in components from 105 level components to bar end shifters going to make me unhappy? Will my general unease go away?
Generally speaking I think people would consider me a bike snob - not because I ride really expensive bikes but because I love bikes and biking and the idea of car free and bicycle lifestyle.
Now - i've always oggled the Surly Checkpoint but i've never actually ridden one. I have a bad habit of perusing the cycling classifieds not infrequently and i've finally come across a Cross Check that is my size with drop bars and bar end shifters - usually when I see them they are single speed and flat bar. I'm seriously considering selling the Trek Checkpoint for the Surly. I would come out with a good chunk of change for the price difference and then i'd have a steel bike that I wouldn't feel bad about it getting dinged a bit. Is the step down in components from 105 level components to bar end shifters going to make me unhappy? Will my general unease go away?
Generally speaking I think people would consider me a bike snob - not because I ride really expensive bikes but because I love bikes and biking and the idea of car free and bicycle lifestyle.
#2
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I don’t think I would have wanted to afford your Trek, but once I had it, I would be loath to give it up for anything.
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#3
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When I was looking for a new bike recently, I had a really hard time choosing between the CheckPoint and the Domane, but since I ride 95% on the road, I decided the Domane would be a better fit for me. In reality, the CheckPoint is baiscally the Domane, just not as "posh", but the CheckPoint is a really nice bike. While my commuter is not Carbon, I have updated it beyond what normal people would consider "sane" for the level of the frame, but I did not care, the frame fits me like a glove and I really like. If you like the bike, don't worry about a nick here or there, its going to happen, just enjoy riding it.
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I like having a luxury commuter. I don't worry about it. Really, carbon is tough stuff. It doesn't like point loads, but I've had a bike fly off my car, and other than replacing all the broken metal bits, the carbon frame was fine and I've been riding it for years. Shoot, people have been riding carbon wheels without tires to demonstrate the amount of abuse they can take.
You got it, now beat the snot out of it. Ride it hard and put it away wet.
You got it, now beat the snot out of it. Ride it hard and put it away wet.
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#7
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I ride 80s and early 90s MTBs...because I love them. I commute rain or shine blizzard or heat wave. If I liked other bikes I would ride them. My point is this....you like your trek...you wanted it and got it. Use it! If you bang it up so what? It does you no good staring at it. Enjoy your bike!
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#9
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#10
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Yeah, the Checkpoint is meant to be beat up. It's a gravel bike. riding it on the road and wiping out on the ice won't damage the bike any more than it'd damage a non-carbon bike -- you may bend/snap a crank, you may screw up the derailleur or bend the hanger, you might snap off a brake lever. The frame's most likely going to be fine. I agree with others -- just ride it.