The Wait is Over

My favorite gravel bike EVER was my Kona Libre. It was very light and comfortable and fun, and I had a lot of great adventures on it. Then I sold it to my friend Sarah during the pandemic and never replaced it. OK, yes, I did build a cool aluminum Checkpoint. It’s a great bike, but it lacked the light weight and special sauce of the Libre.

What did I want? I didn’t want a bikepacking gravel bike. I like a little weight on my hands when I ride, and the more relaxed-geometry bikes just didn’t seem like they’d work. I wanted, in the parlance of the industry, a gravel race bike, though I may never race a bicycle again. I looked at the Open. I looked at the Aspero. And I just couldn’t pull the trigger.

I purchased the Checkmate the day it became available. Everything about it ticked the boxes. Geometry was right. Very light frame. Very intriguing drivetrain. (13 speeds? That’s crazy!) Super light wheels that I’ve always admired. Cool paint. I was, however, worried about the one-piece bar/stem situation. Would it fit just so? It would be an expensive, labor-intensive proposition to replace the stock item in the event that it didn’t work out. But it did. Whew!

And it’s great! It’s exactly what I’ve been holding out for. The fit is very good. The drivetrain kicks much booty. I am super-duper satisfied and excited about our future together. I’ll write more once I accumulate some miles.