Friday Debrief: Southern Sunset, Zip-Tie Locks, The Forgotten Coast, Super Straps, 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…

Dark Realm Wald Basket Bag in Sand and Southern Sunset

Made in USA / $140 at Dark Realm

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Designed to fit Wald 137 and 139 baskets, the Dark Realm Wald Basket Bag is made from water-resistant exterior fabrics, high-vis packcloth liner, and high-density closed-cell foam on the base and sides. The adjustable side buckles are designed to fit Wald baskets but can work with other front racks as well. Dark Realm just added two new color options to their growing lineup: an understated Beach Sand and a colorful Southern Sunset.

Buffalo Bags Big Buffalo Restock

Made in Thailand / $190 at Buffalo Bags

Bangkok, Thailand-based bag maker Buffalo Bags just announced a complete restock of their Big Buffalo handlebar bag. The Big Buffalo is a traditonal flap-style handlebar bag that comes in three sizes ranging from 18-30L with a semi-rigid HDPE insert for structure. They’ve just restocked the Big Buffalo in canvas, Cordura, and X-Pac in a variety of colors.

Zefal K-Traz Zip3 Lock

86 grams / €22.95 at Zefal

While lightweight and packable locks aren’t the most secure option, they’re great for quick coffee stops or grocery pickups when a proper bike lock isn’t required. The new Zefal K-Traz Zip3 Lock is effectively a big zip-tie with a three-digital cylinder lock that weighs just 86 grams and is made from a plastic-coated flat steel blade. It’s designed to pack up small, so there’s no excuse for not having a lock with you.

New Rockgeist Custom Framebag Features

Made in USA / $10+ at Rockgeist

Rockgeist recently added some interesting new optional add-ons to their custom framebag page, which are available for a small uncharge when ordering a bag. The Zipper Storm Guard is made from Hypalon rubber and provides a 100% waterproof barrier over your zipper teeth. The Apple Air Tag Sleeve is made from Cordura Ballistic Nylon and will hold a 1″ air tag. It’s usually positioned inside spine bordering the seat tube, however, if you would like it in a certain location, they can accommodate that. Lastly, they are offering an external mesh pocket sewn on the outside panel of either the drive side or non-drive side.

Take a Trip x Austere Super Straps

Made in USA / $50 at Take a Trip Bags

The new Take a Trip Bags Super Straps feature a funky splash anodizing from @david___end at Velocity USA, complete with 1″ and 3/4″ Austere cam buckles, and are double bartacked onto five-bar seat belt webbing. Each strap comes with a pouch sewn from a jacquard fabric with a woven S motif and color matched details. There are limited quantities and they are available tomorrow, February 10th, at 10 a.m. PST.

Brooks Cambium Carved Splash Chris King Edition

Made in Italy / $190 at Brooks

Brooks and Chris King teamed up on a limited edition version of their popular Cambium Carved saddles, available in both C15 and C17 widths, with a coordinating Chris King color scheme. The Cambium is made from vulcanized natural rubber, is UV and abrasion-resistant, and is perfect for all-weather riding.

Singular Cycles Ti Seatposts and Bottle Cages

Made in China / $43-$172 at Singular Cycles

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UK-based Singular Cycles just received their first batch of new China-made titanium seatposts and bottle cages, and both are up on their web store. The posts have an inline clamp, 0mm setback, an adjustable two-bolt clamp, and are 410mm long. They only come in a 27.2mm diameter and have a subtle Singular logo anodized on the shaft. The bottle cages have mounting slots for 20mm of adjustment and are made from 6mm diameter tubing.

KMC 10 and 11-Speed REACT Cassettes

Made in Taiwan / $65 at KMC

Taiwan-based KMC, best known for their lineup of chains and quick-links, has expanded their product line to include cassettes. Their new 10 and 11-speed REACT Cassettes feature proprietary shifting ramps that they say improves shifting, reduces friction, and increases durability. The 10-speed cassette comes in 11-36T and 11-42T ranges. The 11-speed model comes in 11-42T and 11-50T. All REACT cassettes are compatible with a Shimano HG freehub body and are made from high-tensile steel. They weigh between 493 and 802 grams, depending on the cassette.

In Conversation

Exchanges and ideas that caught our attention in the site’s conversation section…

Bikes from Framebuilding Courses

Have you taken a frame building course? Several readers let us know about their framebuilding course experiences in the conversation on Building a Rohloff ATB at Big Forest Frameworks, Josh’s piece published earlier this week about his foray into framebuilding. We’d love to see more! Post a photo of your self-made frame in the conversation below…

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

The Forgotten Coast (Trailer)

Following more than a decade of documenting Iceland’s glacial river systems from the air, Chris Burkard and friends Steve “Doom” Fassbinder and Cameron Lawson embarked on a 400-kilometer bikerafting journey that connected a series of exposed sandbars across 41 rivers along the country’s dramatic southern coast. Watch the trailer above, and learn more about the film and screening dates here.

Katie’s Bikepacking Gear Choices for the Arizona Trail Race

Curious what Katie Strempke’s Arizona Trail Race setup looks like? In Chumba’s latest video, Katie gives a detailed breakdown of her singlespeed Sendero Steel and the gear she brings along for the ride. Watch the video above.

Wizard Works Valentine’s Day Sale

According to Harry and Ve at Wizard Works in London, love is, or at least includes, matching bags. To celebrate the (possible) true meaning of love, they’re offering a buy one get one half off on bags through midnight GMT on February 14th. Bag models must match, but the colors don’t need to. This sale is available across their full range, including custom bags. No coupon is needed, just put two bags in your cart, and the discount will be applied. Shop bags at Wizard.Works.

The Ultimate Full-Suspension Bikepacking Build?

Tailfin’s latest YouTube video showcases an ASMR-inspired full-suspension bikepacking dream build. The build is in celebration of their new SRAM Eagle Transmission Adaptor, which allows folks running SRAM’s latest drivetrains to use Tailfin’s rack system. The build features an Arc 8 Evolve FS Frame, SRAM Transmission, a collection of high-end parts, and, of course, a nice lineup of Tailfin bits.

Rene Herse Industry Appreciation Week

From February 8 to 15, Rene Here is celebrating the people who make the world of bikes go round by offering a special discount to bike industry employees. Rene Herse’s Industry Appreciation Week sale includes tires, many components, Bicycle Quarterly subscriptions, books, and more at a significant discount. This offer also extends to folks who have recently been laid off from jobs in the bike industry. Find full details and apply for the discount at ReneHerseCycles.com.

Cycling the World on Vimeo on Demand

McKenzie Barney embarked on a multi-year journey to see the world by bicycle. Cycling the World is a 32-minute film that tells her story of cycling through five continents, 28 countries, and 29,000 kilometers by way of Africa, South America, Europe, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, and Australia. You now can rent ($5.99) or buy ($9.99) it on Vimeo on Demand.

Injuring Eternity Bikepacking Magic Cards?!

Jeremie Lamart of Injuring Eternity shared some bikepacking-themed magic cards on Instagram last night, and we couldn’t resist sharing them here. What do you think? Would you buy a set? Let Jeremie know here.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

2024 Atlas Mountain Race

The Atlas Mountain Race is a single-stage bikepacking race that starts in Marrakesh, crosses the Moroccan Atlas, and takes riders through the Anti-Atlas and on to Essaouira. The clock doesn’t stop, and there are no prizes. The race takes off tonight, and you can follow along live and dig into our race rig roundup from the Tracker page.

Transcordilleras 2024

The Transcordilleras is a 1,000-kilometer self-supported bikepacking race across the Andes in Colombia. The route traverses the three majestic Colombian mountain ranges, challenging riders with mountainous terrain and more than 20,000 meters of climbing. The grand depart is this Monday, and you can follow the riders’ progress live here.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, some of the winners from this year’s Race Around Rwanda…

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...

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