Trek’s aluminium version of its adventurous Checkpoint gravel bike may lack some of the bells and whistles of its high-end carbon sibling, but it’s still packed with useful features that ensure it's ready for more rugged terrain.
The new slender frame design helps produce a respectably light ride. With a price of £1,700 / $2,099 / €1,999, it makes the new Checkpoint ALR one of the most up-to-date gravel bikes you can buy for less than £2,000.
The handling is impressively sharp, it's well suited to doubling up as a commuter bike and it offers excellent value for money.
- Read more: Best gravel bikes in 2025 – top-rated carbon, aluminium, titanium and steel gravel bikes reviewed
Trek Checkpoint ALR 5 Gen 3 frameset
The Checkpoint ALR frameset is a triumph, featuring details I’d expect to see on a premium carbon frame. These features include a modern drivetrain with a SRAM UDH dropout that future-proofs the frame, a threaded T47 bottom bracket, flat-mount disc brakes and internal cable routing.
There are plenty of mounting points for bikepacking, combined with a generous 50mm tyre clearance (or 42mm with mudguards).
Under the very smartly finished metallic paintwork is Trek’s 300-series Alpha Aluminium frame, which the brand describes as one of the lightest aluminium alloys available, with its sculpted hydroformed tube shapes.
These are combined using Trek’s own ‘hidden welds’ that give a smooth appearance you could easily mistake for carbon.
The carbon fork has triple cargo mounts and mudguard eyelets to boost the Checkpoint’s commuter and bikepacking credentials.
Trek Checkpoint ALR 5 Gen 3 geometry
The new Gen 3 design brings a revised geometry that delivers a smart balance between on-road manners and off-road handling chops.
Up front, the 72.3-degree head tube angle is around a degree less than you’d expect for road riding, with the 72.5-degree seat tube angle mirroring the front. This is combined with a 66mm trail, a short 1,058mm wheelbase, 402mm reach and 630mm stack.
These figures put the Checkpoint’s geometry very much in the endurance/all-road space rather than all-out gravel riding. It’s quite a clever set of numbers for a gravel bike because it can balance road, commuting and touring duties.
| Frame size | XS | S | M | ML | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheel size | 700c | 700c | 700c | 700c | 700c | 700c |
| Seat tube | 49 | 52 | 54 | 56 | 58 | 61 |
| Seat tube angle | 74.1° | 73.7° | 73.2° | 72.8° | 72.5° | 72.1° |
| Head tube length | 9.6 | 11.7 | 14 | 16.2 | 18.1 | 20.1 |
| Head angle | 71.2° | 71.6° | 71.8° | 72.2° | 72.3° | 72.6° |
| Effective top tube | 53.6 | 54.8 | 56.8 | 58 | 59.2 | 60.4 |
| Bottom bracket drop | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Chainstay length | 43.5 | 43.5 | 43.5 | 43.5 | 43.5 | 43.5 |
| Offset | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 |
| Trail | 7.4 | 7.1 | 7 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.5 |
| Wheelbase | 102.5 | 103.3 | 104.1 | 104.8 | 105.8 | 107 |
| Standover | 73.5 | 76.5 | 78.9 | 80.9 | 82.9 | 85.9 |
| Frame reach | 38 | 38.5 | 39.1 | 39.7 | 40.2 | 40.8 |
| Frame stack | 54.5 | 56.6 | 58.9 | 61.1 | 63 | 65 |
Trek Checkpoint ALR 5 Gen 3 specification
The heart of this build is SRAM's Apex XPLR groupset. This 12-speed mechanical model combines a 40t crankset with a wide 11-44t cassette, with the Apex brake calipers matched to the brand’s 160mm Paceline rotors.
As you’d expect from Trek, the finishing kit comes from the brand’s own stable. The wheels are Bontrager’s Paradigm 23 alloy, with a 23mm internal rim width that’s tubeless-ready matched to alloy cartridge bearing hubs. They weigh in at around 1,800g a pair (claimed), and are wrapped in 42mm Bontrager Girona Pro tyres – a minimal-tread tanwall tyre with a built-in puncture protection strip.
Up front, the Checkpoint shares the same Bontrager Elite gravel bar and 90mm stem as the Diamant 140 I pitted it against during testing, although the bar here is of a narrower 42cm width.
At the back, a 27.2mm Bontrager alloy seatpost is topped with a Bontrager Verse Short Comp saddle.
My test bike arrived with the wheels set up tubeless – this is great to see. It also came with two bottle cages and matching bottles, and a Trek Adventure top-tube bag (an additional £35.99).
Trek Checkpoint ALR 5 Gen 3 performance
Compared to the competition, the Checkpoint ALR really shines on the road, especially on climbs. A large part of that is down to the reasonable 10.56kg weight.
The geometry and ride position play a role, too. The position is more akin to a comfortable endurance bike, and I liked the relaxed steering, especially when the going got rough. However, the bike isn’t in the realm of more hardcore gravel options such as the Marin Gestalt X4 or Nukeproof Digger.
The aluminium frame and full-carbon fork are superb – responsive and stiff in all the right places. That’s balanced with good comfort, and the generous 50mm tyre clearances leave more off-road potential on the table.
I’ve had plenty of experience with the SRAM Apex XPLR mechanical drivetrain – It’s the groupset I chose when updating my beloved Cannondale Slate. The shifting is accurate and reliable, and the gear range is ample for off-road use, without being compromised too much on the road.
The braking is good, with plenty of feel at the levers, and the 160mm rotors never rubbed. I got the occasional noisy screech when riding in the wet, although that’s not uncommon with any disc brakes, especially when you introduce muck and grit into the equation.
This bike revels on fast gravel roads, tarmac, towpaths and forest roads. It doesn’t quite have the technical trail-handling chops of the Whyte Verro, but I didn’t have any issues taking it on the same trails I used to test that bike – it just meant I had to take a little more care.
The Bontrager Girona tyres are rapid on the road and great on wide, fast gravel roads and forest fire roads. However, they’re out of their depth on muddier terrain.
Trek Checkpoint ALR 5 Gen 3 bottom line
The Checkpoint Gen 3 ALR 5 is a tremendously good gravel bike for the money, that’ll also work well as a commuter bike.
Its all-round abilities make it one of the best choices for those wanting to dip their toe into the gravel world, or for those on a tighter budget, who want a thoroughly modern gravel bike.
I can’t think of a better sub-£2,000 gravel bike available right now.
Product
| Brand | Trek |
| Price | €1999.00, £1700.00, $2099.00 |
| br_whatWeTested | Trek Checkpoint Gen 3 ALR5 size Large |
| Weight | 10.56kg |
Features
| Fork | Trek Checkpoint, full carbon |
| Stem | Bontrager Elite, 31.8 mm, Blendr-compatible, 7-degree, 90mm length |
| Chain | SRAM Apex, 12-speed |
| Frame | 300 Series Alpha Aluminium |
| Tyres | Bontrager Girona Pro, Tubeless Ready, GR puncture protection, aramid bead, 60 tpi, 700x42 mm |
| Brakes | SRAM Apex hydraulic calipers, Paceline 160mm rotors |
| Cranks | SRAM Apex 1, 40T, DUB Wide, 172.5 mm length |
| Saddle | Verse Short Comp, steel rails, 145 mm width |
| Wheels | Bontrager Paradigm 23, Tubeless Ready |
| Headset | FSA |
| Shifter | SRAM Apex, 12-speed |
| Cassette | SRAM XPLR PG-1231, 11-44t, 12-speed |
| Seatpost | Bontrager alloy, 27.2 mm, 12 mm offset, 330 mm length |
| Grips/tape | Bontrager Supertack Perf tape |
| Handlebar | Bontrager Elite Gravel, alloy, 44 cm width |
| Bottom bracket | SRAM DUB Wide, T47 threaded, internal bearing |
| Available sizes | XS, S, M, ML, L, XL |
| Rear derailleur | SRAM Apex XPLR, 44t max cog |
| Features | Tubeless sealant setup, 2 x bottle cages and bottles, Top tube bag (£34.99) |
