Friday Debrief: Range Lever, Ornot UV Trail Shirts, Tumbleweed at Dismount, 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…

Moots MXC

Made in USA / $9,999 at Moots

Just announced, the new Moots MXC is a purpose-built cross-country mountain bike for high-speed off-road riding. It features a lightweight titanium frame, clearance for 2.4″ tires, and is 1x specific with room for a 38T chainring. It’s designed to be paired with a short travel 100mm suspension fork, has mounts for three bottles, and complete builds start at $9,999 (XTR) and range up to $11,200 (XX Eagle Transmission).

PNW Range Lever

Made in Taiwan / $49 at PNW Components

The new PNW Range Lever is based on a similar design as the brand’s higher-end Loam Lever but is made from a forged 6061 aluminum alloy (instead of CNC machined), spins on a smaller sealed cartridge bearing pivot, and comes in black only. It still has the grippy thumb pad, like the Loam Lever, and it comes with a SRAM MMX direct mount built into the lever and a 22.2mm clamp.

Fairweather All Terrain Pannier

Made in Japan / $120 at Bluelug.com

Fairweather’s new All Terrain Pannier is a simple roll-top pannier with a 7-11L capacity, hook and bungee attachment, and exterior sleeve pockets. It’s made from either Cordura or Spectra ripstop fabric in your choice of four colors. The Cordura weighs 600 grams, and the Spectra weighs 490 grams. They are sold individually.

Ferox Carbon PNS X Fizik Shoe

Made in Taiwan / $330 at Fizik

The Ferox Carbon PNS X Fizik Shoe is a special collaboration version of Fizik’s standard Vento Ferox Carbon shoe with Pas Normal Studios. Designed to be light and stiff, the Ferox Carbon PNS shoe is the first collaboration between the two brands and features their signature Danish styling. They cost a cool $330/pair and weigh 297 grams.

Ornot UV Trail Shirts

Made in USA / $78+ at Men’s Women’s

Ornot’s ever-evolving apparel collection just expanded with the addition of men’s and women’s UV Trail Shirts. The shirts are made from Oeko-Tex approved recycled fabric (85% Polyester/15% Lycra), offer UPF 30 sun protection, and are lightweight and quick-drying. The UV Trail Shirt is available with or without a hood in men’s and women’s sizing and a variety of color options.

Mission Workshop MUSA Shorts

Made in USA / $108+ at Mission Workshop

Mission Workshop reached out to remind us of their lineup of made-in-USA men’s shorts, and they all look quite nice. That includes the Traverse, Stahl, and Loch, three shorts that would make excellent casual do-all bikewear.

In Conversation

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

Smell the Roses *and* Feel the Wind in Your Hair

By Logan: We get a lot of comments from bike travelers who simply don’t get why anyone would race on a bikepacking route. Just this week, there were at least three, and I can’t count the number of times folks have left remarks like, “I don’t understand why people would rush trough these beautiful places and not slow down to enjoy them.” I get that sentiment. I’m not a racer and I dig a good slow roll, but I’ve also tried racing and appreciate why some people are driven to go fast and challenge themselves. I also enjoy following all the ultra-endurance events and athletes we cover here on the site.

We strive to paint the subject of bikepacking with a very broad brush, and in my opinion, that’s what keeps it interesting. I love the fact that in one week you can read a story about a slow approach to connecting with Moroccan people and study a bike roundup featuring the ultralight setups that riders are going to use during a race. It makes me wonder how many of our readers are only reading touring-related content and are generally turned off by racing coverage, and vice versa. Or, if there are others like me, who appreciate the variety and can be equally as happy imbibing race reports as they are delving into long-form stories about big dirt tours. Let us know where you stand in the conversation below.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

Bike Check | Miron Golfman | Highland Trail 550

Tailfin’s latest bike check profiles Alaskan Miron Golfman before he took on the Highlands Trail 550 in Scotland. Here’s his setup:

• Frame: Santa Cruz Blur, 115mm travel
• Fork: DT Swiss F232 One, 120mm travel
• Drivetrain: SRAM XX1/XO1 Eagle
• Brakes: SRAM Code
• Wheels: Hunt Prototype Proven Carbon, 29”
• Tires: Maxxis Ardent (F), Maxxis Ardent Race (R)
• Handlebar: Santa Cruz carbon
• Seatpost: Wolftooth Resolve dropper
• Saddle: Specialized S Works Power
• Top tube: Pre-production Long Top Tube Bag
• Frame: Prototype/custom Frame Bag
• Rear: Prototype RacePack
• Handlebar: Pre-production handlebar system (MTB version)

Selle Royal’s Free Repair Van Returns

Selle Royal’s “Support Cyclists on the Road” mobile repair van is touring around Europe again this summer, offering no-cost bike repair for cyclists and free coffee while they wait. The repair van made a stop in Brussels earlier this month, and it will be in Rotterdam from June 27th to 30th next. After that, it’s heading to Munich on July 11th, 12th, and 13th. Find further details here.

Dismount in Toronto, Canada Becomes Tumbleweed Dealer

The crew at Dismount Bike Shop in Toronto announced that they’re officially a Tumbleweed dealer. They’re starting with their racks and handlebars, including the newly released Titanium Pannier Rack we reviewed, and bikes are expected to land by mid-June. Head over to DismountBikeShop.com to see more. Remember, Bikepacking Collective members get 10% off all non-sale items from their web store!

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

The Grand Loop

The Grand Loop Race was the first ultra-endurance bikepacking race in the US back in the late 1990s, inspiring the likes of the Tour Divide, CTR, and AZTR. The grand depart of this classic event now starts in Nucla, Colorado, along the Paradox Trail. The Grand Loop Race is a 365-mile self-supported bikepacking challenge that connects three iconic long-distance trails in southwest Colorado and Utah: the Kokopelli, Paradox, and Tabeguache Trails. The grand depart starts this morning with nearly 50 riders registered for live tracking. Follow their progress live here.

Grenzsteintrophy

Grenzsteintrophy is a self-supported bikepacking trip along the former inner-German border, which ran from Czechoslovakia to the Baltic Sea. It’s 1,275 kilometers long and follows former patrol roads and trails, with plenty of challenges along the way. The grand depart kicks off from Lübeck tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. local time. Keep an eye on their Instagram page for updates.

Wish We Were Here

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

Lucas Winzenburg: Madrean Rugged Ramble

In my experience, Joe Cruz’s bikepacking routes are some of the most thoughtfully designed and wonder-packed out there, and I can only recommend them. His latest is the 260-mile Madrean Rugged Ramble around southeastern Arizona, and I’m eagerly awaiting a ride of it next winter. The terrain in the Madrean Archipelago is something you have to see to believe, or as Joe calls it, a “rugged sort of poetry.” Having lived in Tucson for six months during the pandemic, I’ve ridden a handful of the stunning routes and tracks along the route, and I can’t wait to see how Joe has woven them all together. Masterfully, no doubt.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, a handful of posts from Spencer McCullough, who just became the first person to ride his bike to all of the national parks in the Lower 48…

Further Reading

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

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