Trek Checkmate SLR 9 AXS first ride review

Trek has pulled apart its gravel bike range – the Checkmate SLR is now the brand’s dedicated gravel race bike, while the Checkpoint SL represents the more adventure-oriented side of the coin.

Unveiled alongside the Checkpoint SL today, the Checkmate SLR is said to be optimised for speed with newly developed tube shapes and an aerodynamic all-in-one cockpit borrowed from the Madone SLR road race bike, while an IsoSpeed decoupler is included to smooth out the rough stuff.

Yet, it carries elements of practicality in the form of mudguards and various frame-bag mounts, as well as 45mm measured tyre clearance (matching the previous Checkpoint SLR).

I’ve had access to the top-spec Checkmate SLR 9 AXS ahead of the launch, enabling me to put some early miles onto the new bike.

In short, it feels as stiff and reactive as anyone is ever likely to need, yet it's highly controllable and confidence-inspiring.

While further testing is needed on more technical terrain before I can offer a full picture of the Checkmate SLR’s capabilities, the early signs are promising.

Trek Checkmate SLR highlights

• Replaces the Checkpoint SLR as Trek’s dedicated gravel race bike, with the Checkpoint SL now more focused on adventure riding
• Aerodynamically optimised with ‘Full System Foil’ tube shapes
• Uses the Madone SLR’s Aero RSL integrated cockpit
• 800 OCLV carbon frame said to weigh 1,223g, painted, in a size M/L (56cm equivalent)
• Clearance for 45mm-wide tyres
• Full suite of mounts for mudguards, frame bags and a Bento box
• Fixed IsoSpeed decoupler claimed to improve compliance
• Uses SRAM Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH) dropout
• Only available in two SRAM builds at launch

Trek Checkmate SLR 9 AXS first impressions

The Trek Checkmate SLR 9 AXS is a handsome-looking bike, no question.

Whether you think integrated cockpits are a good idea or not for a gravel bike, the Aero RSL cockpit borrowed from the Madone SLR is a clear sign of the Checkmate SLR’s intentions.

It’s designed for outright speed, tucking those hydraulic hoses out of the way, and I suspect would fool many a casual viewer into thinking it’s a road race bike if the wheels and tyres were swapped out for something narrower.

Trek may claim that the tubes have evolved from the Kammtail ethos, but the squatter shapes still look purposeful and sleek – and beneficial, if the Wisconsin-based brand’s associated performance claims are to be believed.

The curved top tube is especially pleasing to my eye, in a world dominated by straighter lines.

The IsoSpeed integration is also very neat – perhaps lower-profile than that seen on the latest Domane (although the fixing pin is clear and present on the frame) – and it seems sensible that Trek has opted to stick with a single-setting unit.

Racers are a discerning bunch on whatever surface they ride, but it’s fair to say keeping complications to a minimum reduces the chances of something going wrong in a crunch situation.

Moreover, I pose the question: how many people really have the time or wherewithal to change settings for a given ride, when tyre choice and tyre pressure are likely to make a far greater difference to your ride experience?

It’s nigh-on impossible to be disappointed by the build on paper – this Checkmate SLR 9 AXS is fitted with the very latest SRAM Red XPLR AXS groupset (this was my first time using it).

The wheels are sibling component brand Bontrager’s top-of-the-gravel-line Aeolus RSL 37V TLR Disc, complete with a 25mm internal rim width (31mm external), DT Swiss 240 EXP hub internals and 1,355g claimed weight.

The only thing off-spec is the tyres – instead of 38mm-wide Bontrager Girona RSL GR rubber, my launch bike had 40mm Bontrager GR1 Team Issue tyres fitted instead.

Trek Checkmate SLR 9 AXS first ride impressions

The change of tyres was hardly a problem for this UK-based tester, though, given the GR1 tyres exhibit a lightly knobbled pattern throughout, as opposed to the smooth centreline of the Girona RSL GR.

I’ve no doubt the Girona might be a faster tyre on tarmac and smoother gravel, then, but the Checkmate SLR 9 AXS is still surprisingly fast and agile-feeling on speedier surfaces.

Of course, the front-centre is pushed out in a bid to calm responses and extend the wheelbase for stability. The head angle (72 degrees on my size-large / 58cm test bike) is a little slacker than many brands now design into endurance road bikes too, but the handling still feels tactile and responsive.

This combines to yield a sense of confidence on loose gravel – turn into a corner and I felt I could trust the tyres to grip – and be confident I could rescue the situation if I broke traction.

The sense of calm offered by the combination of the tyres and the IsoSpeed decoupler also helps here – I haven’t yet felt overwhelmed by too much happening too quickly, for example.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Aero RSL cockpit feels very stiff (bordering on unforgiving), although testing is needed on more technical terrain to see if that’s truly the case.

I like Trek’s default size choice for the task at hand (41cm at the hoods, 44cm at the drops, measured centre-to-centre, with a 110mm-long stem) for my test bike, although the swept-back shape of the tops means the reach to the back of the levers is shortened slightly.

That’s close-to-perfect for me, although the shape of the tops resulted in the curve of the bar pushing into the centre of my palm when resting there. They also feel a little narrow for my taste, and are ‘naked’, but I wonder if this could be fixed easily with extra bar tape.

The 73.6-degree seat angle may be steep, but the 5mm-setback seatpost had me pushing the supplied Aeolus Pro saddle forward to its recommended limits to satisfy my specific fit requirements.

One could argue I might be better off with an inline seatpost (although sadly Trek/Bontrager doesn’t make one), a different saddle, or a smaller-sized bike in general to achieve this – but that would necessitate changes at the other end.

It’s a dilemma many face when purchasing a new bike, but Trek says its Project One customisation programme offers a full range of sizes for the bar and on-brand finishing kit options. You’ll need to go through a dealer to specify them.

On the road, the Checkmate SLR feels distinctly like a carbon road bike: stiff and taut, and – insofar as can be told at 35kph or so, when the tyre’s rolling resistance is a large factor – efficient through the air too.

At 7.82kg (without my pedals attached), there’s not a significant surplus of weight, so it felt lively when I engaged with the steeper sections of a local climb.

I’m intrigued by the prospect of putting mudguards on a Checkmate SLR in the future (although, perhaps not this top-spec Checkmate SLR), swapping the tyres for something less gravelly, and seeing how it performs as a fast all-road, all-season whip.

The Red XPLR AXS groupset is an excellent piece of work, and a suitable foil for such a fast-feeling gravel bike.

One should expect nothing else from a bike costing five figures – but shifting is crisp and fast across the 10-46t cassette (offering a great range), braking is powerful and highly controllable, the lever and hood ergonomics sound, and the new modular power meter crankset is a step in the right direction.

Like Warren, I found the brakes become noisy when wet – something we suspect is down to the use of new ‘organic’ pads. However, although I prefer the feel of both Shimano’s and Campagnolo’s best efforts, it’s not as though I struggled to know what was going on when I braked.

Trek Checkmate SLR 9 AXS bottom line

The Trek Checkmate SLR 9 AXS appears to be everything you'd expect from a top-spec gravel race bike.

It’s stiff and racy-feeling, yet I’ve found it easy and fun to ride thus far on the kind of princess gravel racers are most likely to encounter.

Further testing on tougher terrain will reveal more, though, while the bike might perform differently when laden with the kind of loads a gravel racer might carry.

The early signs, though, are promising.