Friday Debrief: Stupid Tourist, Chicken Soup Lozenges, Vintage MTB Show, Salsa UDH Dropouts, and More…

The weekly Debrief highlights small but important bits of news, products, and things that caught our attention on the website, in the conversation, and elsewhere around the community. These include upcoming events and interesting items our readers shared in the comments. Check out this week’s findings below.

Bits & Bobs

New products that are worth highlighting but didn’t make the Dispatch…

Salsa Alternator UDH Dropouts

Made in Taiwan / $60+ at Salsa Cycles

Salsa recently released new Alternator UDH dropouts. They’re compatible with all Salsa frames that use Alternator 1.0 or 2.0 dropouts. They’re available in flat-mount and post-mount brake standards and open up the world of SRAM Transmission drivetrains for your Salsa. Visit your local Salsa dealer to learn more.

Crust Stupid Tourist Sample

Made in Taiwan / $3,300 at Crust Bikes

Crust Bikes has been teasing the release of their mini velo, the Stupid Tourist, since last year, and a sample seems to have finally landed in Richmond, Virginia. Using Ritchey’s breakaway system, the Stupid Tourist takes the travel-oriented benefits of a mini velo and supercharges them with the packability of the Ritchey Breakaway design. We don’t know a ton about this bike, but given Garrett and Matt’s affinity for BMX, the Stupid Tourist is bound to be a fun little ripper of a travel bike.

• 
• 
• 

As of publication, the Stupid Tourist’s full production run has yet to land in the United States, but this size small sample is built up and ready to roll. It’s a one of one and has the unique quality of being a pre-production model, so if you’re itching for a travel bike with some iconic Crust flair, now might be the time.

Progresso Soup Drops

$TBD at General Mills

Just when we thought we’d seen it all, Progresso introduced a new way to eat soup this cold and flu season with the launch of the first-ever limited edition Soup Drops. Is it the ultimate bikepacking losenge or just flat-out gross? Let us know in the conversation below.

Framework Designs Sight Seeker Pre-Order Open

Made in Australia / $295 AUD at Framework Designs

Framework Designs in Australia just opened up pre-orders for their Sight Seeker basket bag. It’s compatible with both the Wald 137 basket and Jack the Rack, and this round is available in Shiraz, Khaki, and a limited amount of Prickly Prickly Pear. Each bag is hand-sewn by Tia in Melbourne using Australian-made waterproof canvas and brass hardware and is built to last. You can read our review here.

Wolf Tooth Resolve Rev2 Restock

Made in Taiwan / $379 at Wolf Tooth Components

The Wolf Tooth Resolve Dropper Post REV2 received several updates since we reviewed the original Resolve Dropper Post. That includes a new 34.9 sizing, a 242mm travel option, and upgraded internal components. Otherwise, the Resolve REV2 has the same features as the original, including a self-bleeding cartridge, short insertion lengths, and minimal stack heights. Wolf Tooth just announced a restock of all sizes, and they are ready to ship.

Ombraz Limited Edition Blue Mirror Leggero

Made in Asia / $160 at Ombraz

The new limited edition Ombraz Leggero armless sunglasses with Blue Mirror lenses are perfect for those who spend time on the water or in the alpine in bright environments. There are only 1,000 available, so you’ll need to act fast.

Pocket Tripod PROv2

$34+ at Kickstarter

We recently stumbled on the Pocket Tripod PROv2, an adjustable, ultra-lightweight, and compact phone stand that folds down to a wallet-size form factor and now has 1/4″-20 threads for connecting to a tripod or other photography gear.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

How To Fold Your Tent Poles

In their latest video, Slingfin offers up a quick and useful tip for folding your tent poles that will make your shock cord last longer.

7,500km Through Europe in 30 Days: European Connect Trail

In July 2024, Sebastian Breuer took on the trip of a lifetime, riding 7,500 kilometers From the northeasternmost point to the southwesternmost point of Europe, through 10 countries over the course of 30 days. Seb released an impressive hour-long video documenting the experience, and you can watch it above.

How Far Can My COROS Dura Go?

Quinda Verheul recently rode over 1,300 kilometers across Europe, navigating with the COROS Dura to see how far its solar-powered battery would go before needing a charge. See her single-charge journey above.

How much Force does it take to Pull out a Stuck Seatpost?

Here’s the follow-up to Phil Vandelay’s previous video we posted. Here, Phil rescues more bike frames by pulling their stuck seatposts but this time with 200% more science! Using a load cell to measure the pulling forces involved provides valuable insight into this dreaded problem.

2nd Annual Vintage Mountain Bike Show

Presented by BoneshakerMTB & Gremlins Bicycle Emporium, the second Annual Vintage Mountain Bike Show in Toronto, Ontario, celebrates the heritage of mountain bike design from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. The event will showcase a new collection of over 30 vintage mountain bikes, parts, clothing, and more from the sports most notable creators. There’s an open reception on from 6 to 10 p.m. on March 6th, 2025, and the show will be open March 7th to 9th from 12 6 p.m. Learn more here.

Priority on the Roundabout Brattleboro Loop

Max from Priority Cycles recently took on our Roundabout Brattleboro bikepacking loop through Vermont, putting the Priority 600HXT to the test. Watch his reflection on the trip in the video above.

Hut-to-Hut Bikepacking on the Aquarius Trail

Joe Murphy’s latest video documents a 200-mile bikepacking journey from Brian Head to Escalante, Utah, along the picturesque Aquarius Hut to Hut Trail. “Stunning views, tough climbs, fast descents, and remote huts made for an epic adventure,” he writes. See it above.

I Made a DIY Handlebar Harness

Morgan Walter from Calgary, Alberta, recently made his own handlebar harness using Cordura, webbing, a carbon handlebar extension, and a plastic container to help hold the harness’s shape. Visit his YouTube channel to see more great videos, including a DIY framebag and DIY Tailfin rack.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

2025 Atlas Mountain Race

The Atlas Mountain Race is an unsupported cycling race that starts in Marrakesh and crosses the Moroccan Atlas before taking riders through the Anti-Atlas and on to Essaouira. This year’s grand depart launches at 6 p.m. local time, with nearly 300 riders participating. Head over to the event tracker page to follow their progress and find updates during the race.

Kiwi Brevet

The Kiwi Brevet is a long-distance ride around the top of New Zealand’s South Island with two route options to pick from: 750 or 1,100 kilometers. The 2025 grand depart started yesterday evening, and you can follow their progress live here.

The Mule Trail

The Mule Trail is approximately 630 kilometers long across the length of Costa Rica from its southern border in Panama to the northern one with Nicaragua. There are just over 20 riders split between the 450 and 630-kilometer routes, and you can follow their progress live here when they start tomorrow morning.

Wish We Were Here

Shedding a little light on a route one of us is dreaming about riding at the moment…

Lucas Winzenburg: Trans-Mexico (Sur)

Having just returned from another trip to Mexico earlier this week, I’m already eager to plan my return visit. I’m particularly intrigued by seeing the southern reaches of the country more deeply, and I can’t think of a better way to do so than by riding Mark Watson and Hana Black’s incredible Trans-Mexico Bikepacking Route, as featured in the sixth issue of The Bikepacking Journal.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, a handful of photos from last week’s Race Around Rwanda…

Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.