Originally Posted by
Smaug1
I'm in the market for another gravel bike now. Probably a Checkpoint SL5 or -6 or something in steel. We'll see.
A friend in the club just had her Checkpoint ALR frame warranteed because it cracked at the luggage rack boss. She paid some extra and upgraded to a carbon frame, says the ride is noticeably better, so I'm going to see if I can afford to go that route.
I tested many Trek Checkpoint and Specialized Diverge carbon frame gravel bikes, because LBS stocked carbon but not aluminum. It took a while to be able to test out Checkpoint ALR. I also tested steel bike like Surly Straggler. I can only test ride these on road, and not on gravel trail.
Ride noticeably better is up to personal preference. For large bumps like pot holes, carbon frame feels better as it just recovers faster, whereas aluminum has a slow rolling effect. But for smaller bumps like rough road (and I assume gravel), aluminum actually feels better as there is less vibration transferred to the hands.
All the carbon frame bikes I tested had electronic shifting, except 1 Specialized Diverge model from 2 years ago with Shiman GRX. All aluminum gravel ones had mechanical shifting. I just don't see myself spending $3-5k for Trek Checkpoint carbon frame bike, especially as potential commuter.