I don’t know if this is somewhat relatable, but for some reason I cannot find peace with this bike.
The Checkpoint (ALR 5) was my first real drop bar bike. I started out road cycling and recently discovered that I like gravelling much better. But regardless of the surface, I have been wanting to replace this bike for almost a year now – and in the process went through some hilarious fails. From a cracked Carbon frame (upon delivery), over a few that poorly fit, to what I thought was gonna be my “forever bike” in the Fairlight Strael.
I had great plans to go bike-touring/packing this year with the Strael, but apparently it’s really not meant for anything off-road. Since it is still almost brand-new, I’ll get my moneys back and reinvest it into the Secan likely. But that won’t be here until August. So now I find myself reluctant to just use the Checkpoint for touring instead. No idea why…
(tbf, there is a tiny scratch near the dropout. LBS suspects a scratch, but cannot rule out that it could be the beginning of a crack, as it is near the rack-eyelet. So there is an excuse)
Tell me I’m stupid and I should just go ride
(I will cut down the fork, that has bugged me since I got the bike. Maybe that will improve the appeal. It also has quite a lot of paint chips and cable rub down to the metal, so up close she is not the prettiest anymore)
by red-broccoli
12 Comments
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You’re stupid and should just go ride
It kinda sounds like your overthinking has little to do with the bike. Go for a ride. Who cares if it’s cold or wet, just put on more layers. Maybe listen to some music or a book while riding to distract yourself from thinking too much while riding.
It’s a nice bike. Sounds like you won’t be happy with any bike. Just go ride it
How’s the fit? I bought a new gravel bike last year, and once the new-bike euphoria had passed, I felt like something was off about the bike. I actually took it in for a fit, which helped a bit, but still. Thought about selling it even. It turned out the problem was too long of a crank length. When I finally fixed that this spring, it was like a whole new bike, and the euphoria returned.
Second comment: Jeez, the number of posts I see on here worrying about whether a scratch is a future major failure in the making. If you have an all-metal bike – yeah, the fork, too – you just don’t have to worry about that basically ever. I think that’s worth a couple of pounds for something you want to ride rough on rocks.
You’re just a monkey getting an endorphin kick whenever you buy something.
Damn. Been riding a Checkpoint ALR5 for 5 years now. It’s my commute once a week (40km one way) with extra bags and heavy lock, through rain or not. Or sometimes I unequip all this stuff and go for a ride with someone with a roadbike. It’s completely black (boring !) and paint is chipping away where the frame-bag is fastened. But who cares ! I love the ride, love the versatility. So yeah, exactly what these others say. You’re stupid and should just go ride.
I’ve taken my carbon gravel bike touring and on rough long rides before with 0 issues. Bikes are more durable then you think (unless they get crushed by careless package delivery services).
Just go ride her until you love her mate
Yeah sounds like you’re overthinking it. It’s a fine looking bike. It sounds like you have another bike on the way so why not use this one in a care-free sort of way for the next 4 months? Ride it without caring if it gets dinged up and get some miles in before your new bike gets here.
Get a secondhand steel bike and enjoy getting it dirty.
I truly don’t understand how you have tolerated that wreck for so long…I’ll DM you my address and make it go away for you.