Salsa Stormchaser vs Trek Checkpoint ALR Gen 3
Both published charts held against each other, on the specs that decide what the bike carries.
The short answer
The Checkpoint ALR Gen 3 is ahead on frame bag space, the rack path, bottle positions and price. Nothing here goes the other way.
Assembled from the differences below rather than written over them, so it cannot drift from the table. Every figure is the manufacturer's; nobody here has ridden either bike.
Where they differ
4 of the 7 things we can compare come out differently. The rest are close enough not to decide anything.
Frame bag space
163 cm² more on the Checkpoint ALR Gen 3Front-triangle area at the largest size, computed from stack, reach and seat angle. It is what decides how much full-frame bag you can run, and a frame bag is the one place weight sits low and central.
Rear rack
Checkpoint ALR Gen 3 is the one you can bolt a rack to without hunting for partsRead from each maker's own mount wording. An adapter is a real cost the price tag does not mention, and 'not published' is not the same as no — it just is not something to buy a rack on.
Frame bottle positions
1 more on the Checkpoint ALR Gen 3The maximum the maker publishes across sizes. Worth knowing before you buy a frame bag, because a full-frame bag covers most of them.
From
$199.01 between themManufacturer's cheapest complete build. Every spec above belongs to the frame and does not change between builds of the same model, so the cheapest build of the right frame is usually the right answer.
Side by side
Including the rows where the two are level, because a spec that doesn't separate them is still a spec you might be checking.
| Salsa Stormchaser | Trek Checkpoint ALR Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Frame bag space | 1630 cm² | 1793 cm² |
| Widest published tire | 50mm on 700c / 29in, 50mm on 650b / 27.5in | 50mm on 700c / 29in |
| Rear rack | Needs an extra part — Rack-Lock seatpost collar | Bolts straight on |
| Fork cargo mounts | Published | Published |
| Frame bottle positions | 3 | 4 |
| Chainstay | 435mm | 435mm |
| From | $1,799 | $1,599.99 |
| Sizes | 7 | 6 |
| Frame | 6066-T6 aluminum | 300 Series Alpha Aluminum |
Drawn to scale
Largest published size of each, built from the charts rather than illustrated. The front triangle is the part that decides frame bag fit.
