One bike that we nearly missed is what looks to be a new Trek Checkpoint gravel rig, teased online by the brand itself, and shown up in a few sneaky shots.
We don't know if this bike will be a Checkpoint or a brand-new model. Many brands have multiple gravel bikes in their lineup, with racy models alongside more adventure-friendly models. Trek still only has the Checkpoint as a dedicated gravel bike, alongside the Boone cyclocross bike and the Domane all-road bike.
Trek also has a new road bike in the works and we aren't sure of the name of that bike yet either, with the rumours suggesting it will be an amalgamation of the Madone and the Emonda. With that in mind, let's not assume anything here.
Details of the new gravel bike are even scarcer than the road bike, but we think it's safe to say a new bike is on the way, along with perhaps a new integrated carbon fibre handlebar and stem, and Bontrager gravel tyres from what we can make out from our online snooping.
The @trekbikes Instagram account made the below post. Blanking out the new bike and pretending it's not there is one way of creating a bit of positive chat ahead of a new bike release.
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We did, however, manage to find a few sneaky shots, courtesy of the official Unbound press photos, and the MAAP.CC Instagram account, showing of the new bike under racers Russell Finsterwald and Hayley Hunter Smith, both of whom race for the Trek Driftless gravel race team.
The clearest image of the new bike shows an Isospeed pivot, a standard seatpost, and a beefy bottom bracket (Image credit: Instagram: @maap.cc / @dominiquepowers)
The bike raced by Finsterwald (and likely a few other athletes) has a regular seatpost instead of the integrated unit with topper mast found on the existing top-level Checkpoint SLR.
It looks as though the Isospeed has been redesigned, with a single pivot point sitting just in front of the seatpost, and a seat tube that's a good amount deeper than the seatpost that sits inside it. Interestingly, the down tube storage box seems to have disappeared. Will this be a race-focused, pared-back model?
There also looks to be top tube mounts for bags which the existing bike has, and a carbon integrated handlebar we assume from the Bontrager component family.
We'll keep our eyes peeled for more details and see if Trek will give us any details in the meantime, and we'll be sure to update this story when we know more.
Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
