I have the same bike as Lachlan and fit 50c tyres in no problem.
‘clearance’ from the manufacturer is based on the ISO standard of minimum 6mm clearance in all areas, including FD and frame parts.
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There is no way that is correct…he may have run a 44, but there is no way that was the largest size he could have run if the bike was rated for 45.
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Fair enough, he said on Instagram those were the biggest he could fit. Maybe the Vittoria options between 44 and 2.1 are too slow.
I wanna say that he ran a 50mm at Unbound.
ETA - just checked and seems he ran a 44 at Unbound, as well. However, he was also running a 2x, so that may have been the limiter, not the frame per se.
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I have 2x Ultegra di2 with 50mm g one overlands fitted to my supersix evo SE, on 25mm ID rims.
Maybe just playing it safe, or the tyres come up big with tread?
And if you run bigger than spec and damage anything, warranty is void on Trek.
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And if you run within spec and damage the frame with mud/rock/broken spoke tire rubbing that is covered under warranty? I would doubt it…
I had a long talk with my Trek dealer about all these issues when the Checkmate launched.
If you are running in spec tires and damage the frame it’s still not covered under warranty but they have a carbon replacement program where you can get a replacement at a reduced cost. But the likelihood of causing frame damage when running in spec is really pretty low unless you are really reckless. I ran 42s at Unbound two years ago during the mudfest and had no damage from the mud. The only frame damage I had was from my number plate rubbing over the paint on the front of the bike.
Ultimately I made the decision to not go with the Checkmate as it seemed crazy to spend those $$ on a bike that is out of date at launch.
Definitely not…nor should it be. That is a rider liability issue, not a manufacturing / defect issue.
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Completely agree - that’s why I’m always confused as to why people continually bring up the idea of larger tires vs warranty coverage as if they’re related.
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Interesting that he gives it such high reviews, EXCEPT the tire clearance.
Not trying to be a jerk, but a bike review from someone who sells the bike is about as useful as product reviews from sponsored riders.
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He hasn’t sold that bike, nobody will buy it. It’s not like he’s a Trek dealer. He rides multiple brands and could recommend numerous of them.
He absolutely is a Trek dealer. Look at the website for the shop and I’ve watched a lot of their videos. I find those guys entertaining, but the shop sells Specialized, Trek, and Allied. I’m much more interested in what he actually wants to ride than what he tries and sells. Like he lately had a long BC40 video talking about how he’s been on that bike for a couple years and plans to stay on it. That means something because he does try a lot of bikes. So I guess I’m also arguing against myself now because he has ridden tons of bikes and knows the differences. I suppose the point is I’ll take into account what he does (chooses to keep riding) and not what he says (because he’d like to sell a bike). Does that make sense?
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He says he sold the bike at 11:00 into the video.
I like the bicycle station videos. They talk about positives and negatives well for being a part of the industry. I don’t believe they’ve ever tried present themselves as impartial, just people interested in bikes and racing. One of the tests they’ve done Jesse even says he doesn’t like a bike even if it tested faster.
This video seems pretty typical for them, reasonably balanced.
- The bike was outdated before it was even released
- Tire clearance is too limited
- It’s really fast and comfortable
- It looks cool
- The bars are too narrow
- If you want Gravel bike+MTB tires get on the list with us for Allied Able
- Or you could buy an Enve MOG from us
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In 2025 gravel tyre tech will catchup to demand and brands will release fast rolling 38-42mm tyres which are lighter and more aero than chunky XC ones and Checkmate may yet become one of the IT bikes.
Hutchinson Caracal Race tyre is one of the first of those.
It’s ironic that the XC trend started with the fact that Thunder Burt and Race King were faster than any gravel tyre, but a bunch of pros are now running Maxxis Aspens and Ikons that are slower and heavier than many gravel tyres. 
And keeping things in perspective every UCI gravel champs has been won on 40mm or under? So only looking at US scene is narrow view.
At any rate, Checkmate is on my shopping list so the above may be a pitch tailored to me 
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I’m hopeful we will have better marketing of suspension losses as well.
It’s clear that tire choice is course dependent and the most interested people are missing the ability to estimate what is probably the largest variable in speed over mixed-terrain or unpaved courses.
If you stack up the aero, weight, and crr differences between a 40mm and 52mm tire it can often be in the single digits or perhaps <15w. Total, in ideal conditions for each tire.
However, suspension losses, taken as an average for the course, or perhaps just the unpaved sections, can be 3x or more of that difference.
The racer looking to most maximize his chance to win, or survive the most crises in a race (to take a term from R Chung) - should probably be picking specific sizes for specific courses more often than is currently done.
Another element is that the Caracal Race is a very fast tire, about as fast as the Rene Herse Snoqualmie Pass EL - which was released almost 5 years ago. It’s questionable how much improvement balanced with puncture resistance, grip, and durability is available.
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Fast rolling 38-42c tyres already exist. Schwalbe G One R/RS for example.
The industry needs fast rolling 48-50c tyres that are not 2.1/2.2 MTB tyres, with a more rounded profile. Personally find the width of MTB tyres great, but banking the bike over feels very scary.
I expect a 50c G one R/RS very soon and they will be very popular.
As for your comment on UCI Gravel. that is because the gravel being used for UCI champs isn’t a great example of the gravel seen in lots of races across the world. Gravel has a very large spectrum of surfaces, and the UCI seem to hold the races on the tamer end. Just because 2 CX worlds are won on Mud tyres, doesn’t make file treads or intermediates useless.
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Any bike company that has a bike with limited clearance, like Trek, is going to have their marketing departments telling us smaller tires are fine… until the launch their next bike with greater tire clearance at which point their marketing departments will tell us the old bike is garbage and you must get the one with greater tire clearance… This cycle has played out in perpetuity.
In a number of years there are going to be a lot more bikes with clearance for 2.2’s, and a lot more options for gravel tires in a range of sizes. Everyone is just scrambling to catch up right now. In the future, even if you don’t want to run 2.2s, having the clearance for them when running smaller tires is still going to be a benefit for those days when its muddy.
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