Thanks very good to know. Got an e-mail from Quarq yesterday, they suspect an extra spacer was installed (the kit comes with a spacer that is not required for BB90). Will take appart this evening.
Why did they not understand this when they designed the bike?
Engineering is about balancing competing interests. In this case, Tire clearance (especially with dirt and mud in mind), road cranks (Q-factor), frame design (chainstay shape/size/strength) all work a bit against each other.
There is more than one way to skin a cat, and some brands have come to similar specs with the room for a left side power meter. But Trek is not the only one to have this limitation. I do think it is unfortunate and something to be considered in the next model. But these things are far from easy when you look at all of the variables involved.
1 Like
Thanks for the reply.
1 Like
sorry to return to this…but just brought my bike into my LBS and the mechanic said that with my 40 tooth cassette and a derailleur only graded for a 34 , i’m risking having the derailleur “ripped off my bike” because of the stress.on the hanger…any concerns or issues?? now he has me worried…seems to be working fine.
What exact rear derailleur do you have?
There are different cage lengths and even the longest road ones aren’t actually rated to handle the 40t on the MTB cassette.
People best recommendation is the Wolftooth Components Road Link option. Depending on the precise combo of parts, this can make your gearing work.
I and others have chosen to use the XT MTB rear derailleur and the WolfTooth Components Tanpan adapter to work with the MTB pull ratio.
Essentially, there is no “ready-made” solution and hence the reason they said it won’t work.
I have the ultegra derailleur that came with the 34 cassette…it actually works fine now.but I don’t want to be on a ride and have my hanger snap…so maybe the wolftooth is the answer?
OK, yeah. I’d be tempted to get the Road Link to be safe. It’s easy to install, works well, and is cheap insurance IMHO.
1 Like
I’ve have not had a problem. It shifts fine and still some slack in chain and derailer. Yes it is outside spec… but lots of people are doing it with out any problems.
Hello, cyclingbear. I have the same bike and I am having trouble with the left crank grinding small rocks (gravel) between the crank and the frame because they are so close together. The frame has some pretty deep gauges already. I see that your bike is pretty dirty so you must be riding in gravel. Do you have that problem?
Yes I have a few scratches there too.
I try keep it clean but sometimes a bit of dirt builds up there.
I do spray the area after I wash it with a silicone spray in an attempt to stop dirt sticking and building up. It works a little.
Something I was thinking of after reading this topic (I have a Checkpoint on order too). I don’t really use cadence on my gravel bikes…I’m just trying to survive…and I know my sweetspot…its in the bar at the finish line.
- try the (old fashioned) combined cadence / speed sensor arrangement (combined sensor) if you can get your hands on one, but you would be without a power meter
- maybe attach a cadence sensor to the top of your shoe (some of them work there), but I’d be worried how secure it is
- if you can get the new garmin sensor 2 to fit on the crank near the BB (a lot of others eg wahoo advertise it working there), but it does look very tight there and I’d be worried it moving and taking a chunk out of the frame (with all that power we’ve been developing through TR)
- for power meter, maybe go the pedals route? See a recent GPLama video. I wonder if that would work (GPLama Lab)
For keeping that area clean, you may remember some of the raceblade fenders come with a stick on brush for keeping rim brakes clean of debris…you might do something similar…extra long eyelashes…trim them to fit ? 
except (edit: this more-recent-than-your-reply news), may impact Pioneer products going forward…
“Shimano has purchased unknown assets in conjunction with that agreement, and does not plan to continue to carry-forward the Pioneer product line. Pioneer, however, will continue support for Pioneer products.”
I have Favero assiioma pedals (one sided) on my check point. Love them
I ended up going with a power2max and have been very happy
3 Likes
I have just fitted a 4iiii precision pro to my checkpoint alr 5. this gives me a spider based system on the right crank.
It’s a dual sided crank based system. but there isn’t clearance for the left crank arm (as with standard 4iiii precision left crank arm power meters), but I am planning on selling that on, as it works as a seperate unit. I think this will actually be cheaper than sending cranks off to 4iiii.
Hi, I’ve got a 2021 Checkpoint ALR5 too.
I’m looking for a power meter option on the right side as the left crank looks too close to the frame unfortunately for any left side crank power option.
Can you please send through some photos and information on how the power meter is going? Thanks
4iiii precision pro working well for me. Just the right crank/chainset fitted with the original left crank arm.
It’s a clean solution, just a shame that the power data is impacted from to the performance of the Shimano crank design.
Thanks for sharing, I’ve got GRX though so interested in something with that.