Trek Checkpoint vs. Canyon Grail

[fairwent]

Does anyone have experience with the Checkpoint ALR 5 and the Grail AL 7.0 that can be shared. Right now it looks like Trek is out of stock on the ALR 5 in the 61 cm sizes and Canyon only has a few left (only 1 in brushed).

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...reenvisibility

https://www.canyon.com/en-us/road-bi...mengroesse=2XL

Unless there is a real performance/component reason to go with Canyon I'm leaning toward Trek and waiting until the next model is released to support the local bike shop. For the $200 or so difference in price (much of which is offset by shipping charges) having the local shop involved seems like good business moving forward.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

[PacNW2Ford]

Where are you located? The Bike Gallery in Portland has 61cm Volt Green ALR 5 in stock.

[fairwent]

I'm in Ohio. Being able to see, touch and ride before buying is normal for me. Canyon would be unique just like buying a Trek from Oregon.

General thoughts on Canyon in general would also be appreciated.

[Davist]

I bought a canyon ultimate last year, great bike, great pre-sale service answering questions. Did have to change stems myself (and it's oversized 1.25" so got a giant stem) but wheels, tires, cranks, saddle, etc are all name brand (decent DT Swiss / continental 4ks2, ultegra, fizik) vs house brand that the majors use (yes specialized has good tires, Bontrager high end wheels are good, Cannondale stuff is meh in my opinion). Compared to Cannondale (our local choice) was about $1k cheaper all in even with a deal from LBS, and has design features I liked (12mm t/a).

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by fairwent

I'm in Ohio. Being able to see, touch and ride before buying is normal for me. Canyon would be unique just like buying a Trek from Oregon.

General thoughts on Canyon in general would also be appreciated.

Test rides are for schmucks. You won't know how a bike truly rides till it's set up for you.

If you know the geo you need, know the measurements, buy one.

Since I know the guy that heads up the team that designed the Checkpoint, *I'D* buy one of them. ...but that's me

M

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by Gummee

Test rides are for schmucks. You won't know how a bike truly rides till it's set up for you.

I agree that you can't get full feel of a bike if it hasn't been setup for you, but that doesn't mean test rides are worthless. Even if the bike hasn't been fitted for you, a test ride may still be helpful in finding things that are glaringly wrong for you, so that bike can be eliminated from further consideration.