ChillDilettante

I'm looking at an upgrade for mostly road riding with a little gravel. Comfort is a super high priority. Was thinking Domane (currently ride an older model), but fit is an issue because of the high seatmast and my short inseam. In my size, I need to have the seatpost all the way down with no room for adjustment (or go a size smaller frame with other fit issues). The Checkpoint has a standard seatmast and I slightly prefer its look. So, a few comparison questions:

What would the mph penalty be on the road using the off the shelf Checkpoint's bigger, more knobby tires vs stock Domane? .5 mph? 1mph?

What would you be giving up gear range wise with the Checkpoint's 1x vs the Domane 2x?

Would the Checkpoint's lack of a front isospeed decoupler make it much rougher on the hands, or would the bigger tires/lower pressure make up for it?

The Checkpoint has a longer top tube and shorter stem. What difference would that make riding on pavement?

I've never had multiple wheel sets for a bike. How does it work with the cassette and brake disc being basically part of the wheel? Do you need duplicates of those too?

Thanks in advance!

Sy Reene

To get you started:
https://www.swissside.com/blogs/news/gravel-report

ChillDilettante

Thanks. That's quite the thorough analysis. Seems like it would probably be noticeably slower.

Mojo31

Define what you mean by “gravel.”

If gravel on paved roads, then get a road bike. If the Domane doesn’t suit you well, there are many other options such as Roubaix, Defy, etc.

Gravel tires will be slower unless perhaps you’re a strong rider.

Polaris OBark

Domane can take 38mm tires with ease. If you want a road bike that can handle non-paved roads, it would probably be better than the checkpoint. My wife and I spent a few hours test-riding the 2023 checkpoints. I think they are designed with bike-packers and gravel racers primarily in mind. If it turns out the frame fits you better, you can always put some nice wide slick tires on it, like Rene Herse, and you will have zero on-road penalty. But there are some things to be aware of. Even the $8.5K version is almost 20 lbs, and it has the same seat-mast.

Bontrager tires aren't that great. They would be the first thing I would change out.

jaxgtr

I honestly don't think the lack of a front iso speed is a big deal if you are running lower pressure tubeless. As I mentioned in one of your other post, if you go with a checkpoint, you can run different wheelsets for different tires. If you plan to ride road, put those wheels on, off-road, not big deal, put the other wheels on. I have have that for my Domane. I use my Pro 3v for the gravel using the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H in 35mm and I have a set of Aeolus Pro51's for my road riding with Pirelli P Zero Race TLR's in 30mm. I have also use the 28mm in those tires.

ChillDilettante

Thanks. So maybe you can answer my wheels question. How do alternate wheels work vis a vis cassette/brake discs?

biker128pedal

Whichever one you get both will take 25mm (27mm inflated) GP5000 tires. I have a 2021 Domane SL6. If I was buying today I’d order a Checkpoint with the downtube storage and would stick with a 2x. I test road. SL7 Checkpoint with 1x and did not like the cassette cog jumps on the road. The shop did have the parts for a 2x conversion but that pushed it out of my price range. Maine reason I’d go for the checkpoint is the options for light touring.

Oh I have a second set of wheels planned for the road but switch tires (tubed) now.

Polaris OBark

It is pretty much a non-issue. You would want a dedicated cassette and disc rotors for each wheel-set. The only issue that I have run into is having to shim one of the rear rotors so it matches the other. This is really more about convenience than necessity.

Dean V

Something like a tubeless Scwalbe G One Speed tire (35 or 38mm) rolls pretty well. Not quite as fast as a narrower road set up, but not that far off.
Should be fine for road and light gravel and fast enough unless you are really in a hurry or struggling to keep up with group rides.

jaxgtr

Like what polaris mentioned, I have a dedicated cassette and disc on my second set of wheels. I do not have to shim the rotor as both wheelsets are Bontrager Aeolus variants, but I did have to adjust the caliper slightly when the second set had new rotors, but once they had a little wear on it, it did not rub and I was fine. The only thing you might need to account for is riding area, in that I live in Florida so no hills, so my cassette choice is pretty basic, I run a 12-25 on the road and a 14-28 on the a gravel, so I do not have to put a different chain on. If your largest cog is wildly different, you might have to have a different chain to pair with that cassette, however, not a huge issue in my book.

Kabuto

With the Domane, there's two seatmast sizes. Size 58 and larger come with the tall seatmast as standard, and size 56 and smaller come with the short seatmast as as standard. If you're looking at a size 58 or larger, you could swap out the seat mast for a short one.

jlaw

Re 1x vs 2x....the Checkpoint SL5 is 2x11 using GRX components. This would give you smaller jumps between shifts. You still get a crabon frame, rear isospeed, and decent wheels.

The SL5 has a regular seatpost so you might be able to get a better fit than with a seat mast. ? Try a frame one size bigger than normal - allows for reduced seat post exposure but gives you a taller 'stack' in front. This brings the bar height up closer to the level of the seat. The change in 'reach' between sizes is sometimes quite small. Use the Bike Insights website to compare the 2023 sizes and compare them to your existing bike. https://bikeinsights.com/

The SL6 and SL7 use the same frame geo as the 5 (I think). Maybe you can find one of those to try locally if you can't find a 5.

As others stated - get some slick road tires for the 700c rims that come with the bike. And then buy yourself a nice set of 650b wheels and some 48mm+ Panaracer GravelKing SK tires (subtle knobbies) for when you want to have some real fun. Hunt makes a nice set of reasonably-priced, fairly light 650b wheels. Put rotors and a cassette on both sets of wheels - maybe a cassette with a larger large cog for easier climbing with the gravel wheels.

https://us.huntbikewheels.com/produc...ravel-wheelset