Carbon gravel bike Trek Checkmate SLR 9 AXS white and beige: RED XPLR AXS, Aeolus RSL 37V wheels, 7.55 kg in ML

Trek Checkmate SLR 9 AXS Era White: the gravel podium machine

The Trek Checkmate SLR 9 AXS is the brand's most refined race gravel bike: OCLV 800 Series carbon frame, wireless 13-speed SRAM RED XPLR AXS drivetrain and Bontrager Aeolus RSL 37V carbon wheels, weighing 7.55 kg in size ML. It is aimed at riders who pin on a number at gravel events and want the sharpest kit from the start. The Era White/Buff Beige finish combines ivory white with sand beige, a light paint job that recalls the dust of the tracks.

Technical specifications

Who is it for?

For the competitor aiming for the top of the results at gravel races lasting several hours, where you alternate between accelerations, long stony straights and tarmac sections. It also suits the already sharp road racer who wants to transfer their strengths to dirt without losing speed.

The LVR workshop view

OCLV carbon, Trek's signature. The OCLV process, used by Trek since 1992, presses the fibre sheets under heat and pressure to eliminate micro-voids. On the Checkmate SLR, Trek uses the 800 Series: an optimised lay-up that produces a painted frame of 1,146 g in ML, stiff enough to handle out-of-the-saddle efforts on a broken track. Like all OCLV frames, it benefits from Trek's lifetime warranty.

In short: the SLR 9 AXS frame is the same as on every Checkmate SLR, and it is the spec that makes the difference. The RED XPLR, the RSL wheels and the AirLoom saddle account for most of the 920 g gap with the SLR 7 AXS; as for OCLV 900, Trek keeps it for its road bikes.

In a gravel race, the pace is often decided in the first few kilometres, within a group riding as it would on the road. The Full System aero tubes, the profiled KVF seatpost and the Aero RSL bar-stem are there to limit drag at those moments, while IsoSpeed filters out repeated impacts when the bunch strings out along a white track through the vineyards.

The 42-tooth single chainring paired with the 10-46 cassette covers a very wide range without a front derailleur: fewer parts to adjust, less risk of dropping the chain over rough ground. The 42 mm Girona RSL tyres, with a 220 tpi casing and GR protection, are best set up tubeless with sealant; we do this in our workshop before handover.

Which Checkmate should you choose?

Our take: at 7.55 kg in ML, the SLR 9 AXS is 920 g lighter than the SLR 7 AXS with an identical frame, and nearly 1.8 kg lighter than the Checkpoint SL 7 AXS, which is designed for adventure rather than racing.

Your questions

Why buy from LVR Cycles? As a Trek dealer in Béziers, we build your Checkmate in our workshop, set the tyres up tubeless, update the AXS firmware and advise you on tyre pressure for the terrain of your races.

Please note that the specifications may be changed without prior notice by the manufacturer, based on the availability of components and other factors.