Trek’s been busy, launching two new gravel bikes, adventure bags, and a Harman-powered bike bell speaker. Meanwhile, Silca makes a faster wax lube, BMC updates their gravel bike, Shockstop stems get shorter, plus new Marin MTBs, MRP fork inserts, and Canyon’s wild helmet closure concept. Here’s the best new stuff this week, plus a personal note at the bottom:
- Trek Checkmate SLR
- Trek Checkpoint SL
- Trek Adventure Framebags
- Trek Bell Beats
- BMC URS
- Canyon’s new helmet strap
- MRP LIFT Dampers
- Silca’s fastest wax
- Redshift shorty suspension stems
Trek Checkmate SLR gravel race bike
With the same Air Foil tube shapes and one-piece aero bar/stem as the new Madone Gen 8, plus higher end 800-series OCLV carbon, the all-new Trek Checkmate SLR is their lightest, fastest gravel bike ever. And the complete bike is a full pound lighter than the prior Checkpoint SLR model
It keeps the IsoSpeed seatpost decoupler and fits up to 700×45 tires for comfort, but tucks the rear wheel into the seatpost for more aggressive handling. And yep, you can get it with the new SRAM RED XPLR AXS. Bikes from $8,300 to $12,000, or run through their Project One custom paint program to run it up.
Trek Checkpoint SL gravel adventure bike
Now handling more adventurous rides, the new Trek Checkpoint Gen 3 gets a revised frame to fit taller water bottles (like their excellent 28oz insulated Voda Ice bottle!) with frame bags (see below), bigger 50mm tire clearance, and adds internal downtube frame storage. It’s also now compatible with dropper posts and suspension forks with up to 40mm travel.
All models come with more flared handlebars, plus mounts for front and rear racks, fenders, top tube bags, and triangle frame bags. Complete bikes from $3,200 to $5,700.
Trek Adventure frame & top tube bags
Trek’s new Adventure Frame Bags come in three versions – the top tube (0.8L, $50) and frame bags (2.0/2.6/2.8/3.0 L, all $130 ea.) shown above, and a Triangle Bag (1.0/1.3/1.6 L, $85 ea.). They bolt on, but come with straps to fit any bike, and all are designed to maximize space for bottles inside the front triangle.
They also have a set of four thumb screws that make it easier to bolt these onto your frame, no tools necessary. Also makes it really easy to get them off your bike, and you can use them with pretty much any brand of bag or other bolt-on accessory besides cages.
Trek BellBeats electronic bell helps others echo-locate you
Trek says typical bike bells’ frequencies make it hard for pedestrians to locate you, even if they do hear you. Their new BellBeats is an electronic bell with a Bluetooth receiver and Harman speaker that’s also pretty good at playing music, podcasts, or navigation cues for up to six hours.
It’s preprogrammed with eight different bells and other noises to alert those around you, and you can set it to loop for automatic dinging, perfect for preemptively alerting wildlife out on the trail. MSRP is $99.99, and you can detach it and use it as a speaker anywhere.
BMC URS gravel bikes updated with all the options
The BMC URS lineup is now four bikes strong, all with new internal downtube storage compartments with custom bags, UDH hanger compatibility, included side-loading bottle cages, accessory mounts, and 47mm tire clearance.
Clockwise from top left, the standard URS is a rigid gravel bike with all of the above, here’s how the others vary:
- URS 01 – Pairs their lightweight MTT (MicroTravel Technology) elastomer-based rear suspension with a custom suspension stem using ShockStop’s internals.
- URS 01 LT – Swaps the suspension stem for their custom hydraulically damped suspension steerer tube for 20mm of controlled front travel. I’ve ridden this on the prior model and it’s very good.
- URS AMP LT – The URS LT with a lightweight TQ HPR50 motor to assist you.
Canyon’s HighBar helmets ditch straps to save watts
Available on the new Distruptr (right) and Stingr (left) aero road bike helmets, Canyon’s latest helmets use HighBar’s flexible chin bar in place of straps, which stays perfectly aligned and offers aerodynamic gains. Canyon says it’s also quieter (6-7.5db) than straps, and keeps you cooler (-4.8ºF).
The Disrupt has more vents and integrated taillight for everyday riding, and the Stingr is more aero for race day. Both have internal channeling to keep you cool, too, plus MIPS.
MRP LFT Damper adds mid-travel inserts for Fox, Rockshox & MRP forks
MRP’s LIFT Dampers are a $399 drop-in replacement damping cartridges for a lot of different forks. They have five available tunes to match body weight & riding style, with a full range of external compression and rebound adjustments.
Now, they’ve added an option for Lift Upgrade for Fox 34 (2021+, non Step-Cast models up to 140mm), Rockshox Pike (C1+, up to 140mm, and MRP Ribbon SL (all generations, up to 130mm).
Now you can customize Silca’s Secret Blend for Endurance or Speed
Silca’s Secret Blend hot melt chain wax is a mix of 4 waxes – paraffin, and 3 synthetic waxes. The “secret” blend lets them tune the paraffin for either speed, longevity, or as it’s sold, a good mix of both. But, just like their Strip Chips let you modify it to degrease and wax your chain in one step, their new Endurance and Speed additives let you swing it one way or another based on your needs.
Use Speed for the least possible friction for about 8 hours, about 0.6% faster than standard. Use Endurance if you don’t mind a 0.4% “slower” wax lube that lasts for half a season. They’ll publish the recipes used by their pro teams at events like Tour de France and Unbound, too.
Redshift Sports ShockStop stem adds 55-70mm suspension stems
Until now, all suspension stems have been about 90mm or longer, mainly because it’s hard to package a pivot and bushing or spring into anything shorter. But Redshift did, with new 55mm & 70mm ShockStop stems that get up to 20mm of travel.
They’re still available in 80-120mm lengths, too, but these shorties are perfect for modern bikes with longer reach…and smaller riders. MSRP is $189.99.
Small Bites
- Here’s a cool shared cargo bike service startup
- Wolf Tooth’s Ripsaw flat pedals now come in Orange & Espresso
- Cleary Bikes goes consumer direct & drops prices
- The Lauf Seigla is now shipping with the new RED XPLR AXS
- Marin’s Rift Zone trail bike updated with size-specific wheel sizes
Hot Deals
- Save on bikes, wheels, tires & gear in Trek’s Summer Clearance
Parting Thoughts
I almost skipped posting this week.
Just wasn’t feeling it.
I’m on the road, so that always makes it a little trickier, but mostly it’s because:
My friend Dave passed away last week.
We hadn’t seen him at the bike shop for Friday beers in a few months, but figured life was keeping him busy. I don’t make it there every Friday either.
Turns out he was undergoing chemo and no one knew.
And then he passed in his sleep.
Dave was a great guy. Kind, always happy, and always at every single trail work day for our local MTB club.
He also had great f**king hair.
He never once mentioned being sick or having cancer.
I think it’s unfair that he didn’t.
I think it sucks that he died alone at home.
He had a a lot of friends.
I wish I could have been there for him.
I wish I could have said goodbye.
It sucks that that can never happen now.
Two takeaways:
- If you haven’t seen or heard from a friend for a while, check in on them.
- If you’re hurting or sick, please tell your friends. We want to help.
Please share this with your friends, let them know you’re there for them.
Goodbye Dave, I miss you.
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