Friday Debrief: Zpacks Free Zip 3P, Mike Hall Bursary Winners, Stop-Motion Frame Bag, 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…

Nordest Lavrador Trail Building Boots

Made in Portugal / 69€ at Nordest

Nordest recently released a pair of boots for trail builders. This style of boot has been used for generations in Tras-os-Montes by its inhabitants to plow their land, and Nordest recreated them for trail building and everyday use. The Lavrador boots are handmade in Portugal from 100% natural leather with vulcanized rubber soles, designed to last a lifetime.

Updated Old Man Mountain Baskets

Made in Taiwan / $80 at Old Man Mountain

Old Man Mountain quietly updated their baskets. Logan got a peek at the new design at Eurobike. While they didn’t have any issues with the original version, the new ones get reinforced corners, which tone down the sharp edges and strengthen the basket overall.

CAMP National Park Eyewear Collection

$79+ at Shwood Shop

As recognized in his 2022 Editor’s Dozen, CAMP Topos are Lucas’s favorite sunglases, and he still wears his daily. CAMP just announced the new National Parks Collection, which features lovely special editions of five models that contribute 5% of sales to local park nonprofits in Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, and Great Smoky Mountains.

New Bombtrack Hook EXT C

$2,499 (frameset) at Bombtrack

Built to be equally suited to bikepacking and full-gas gravel racing, the updated Bombtrack Hook EXT C features a full-carbon T800 frame, Seido’s large-clearance MGV Fork, internal cable routing, and multiple mounting points for accessories. Complete builds come specced with a SRAM Rival 1x groupset with a 10-42T cassette paired with a 38T chainring, Hunt 4Season Gravel hoops with WTB 40 mm Venture tires, a cockpit from Seido featuring the new Tackle handlebar, and more.

Gran Tourer XC Lace in Chestnut

Made in Vietnam / $290 at QUOC

We missed them when they were announced last month, but the excellent QUOC Gran Tourer XC Lace shoes we reviewed earlier this year are now available in a beautiful Chestnut color, a welcome addition to the original off-white launch. According to QUOC, this is a limited release, but the full size range is still in stock for now. Read our review here.

Zpacks Free Zip 3P Freestanding Tent

Made in USA / $999 at Zpacks.com

Following the release of the Free Zip 2P tent this spring, the new Zpacks Free Zip 3P Freestanding Tent is only their third dedicated freestanding shelter. Just like the 2P model, the Free Zip 2P tent uses a double X frame pole design, is made from Dyneema composite fabrics, and can be pitched without any stakes or guylines on calm nights. The 60 x 86″ floor is wide enough to accommodate three standard-width sleeping pads, but it also looks like a great option for two adults to spread out in. It costs $999 USD, but considering Zpacks’ US-made tents are among the lightest and best-designed tents we’ve tested, it could be worth it for some folks.

Smith ChromaPop Photochromic

Made in China / $245+ at Smith Optics

Smith just announced that their light-adjusting photochromic sunglasses, which change from clear to grey tint depending on the light conditions, now feature Smith’s popular ChromaPop lens tech for enhanced color, clarity, and definition. Logan picked up a pair of Smith photochromic sunglasses last year and loved them so much that he included them in his Summer 2023 Editor’s Dozen picks, and a few of us here love Smith’s ChromaPop lenses already. Mixing the two together seems like the perfect match. The new ChromaPop Photochromic lenses are available in five Smith cycling frames.

New Ornot Lightweight Mission Shorts Colors

Made in USA / $126 at Ornot

The Ornot Lightweight Mission Shorts, an all-time favorite of Miles and Lucas, were just updated with two fresh color options: Nightshady (burgundy) and Olive. Like the other colors, the shorts are cut and sewn in California, made from bluesign-approved fabrics, and Miles’ original pair are creeping up on 3,000 kilometers of riding, including lots of bikepacking.

In Conversation

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

Calling All Pinion Users

Our latest Gear Index features nearly 30 Pinion-equipped bikes for bikepacking, all of which ditch the derailleur for a fully enclosed gearbox transmission that lives in the bottom bracket area of the bike. We’ve tested a few Pinion bikes over the years, and have more reviews coming soon, but we want to hear from you. Are you a diehard Pinion user? What has your experience been like?

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

Making a Frame Bag in Stop Motion

This was published four years ago, but it’s new to us. In this clever video, Summit Crafted makes a frame bag while stuck in quarantine and waiting on bike parts. This 26″ Diamondback Ascent EX bag uses VX21 X-Pac and 1000D Coated Cordura, both purchased from Rocky Woods. You can also find our frame bag tutorial here.

King of Chaos: The Story of Justinas Leveika (Trailer)

Tailfin R&D Division Rider Justinas Leveika recently set a new record on the grueling 2,700-mile Tour Divide, and the Tailfin is deep into production on a documentary that uncovers the life and motivations of this enigmatic racer from Lithuania. Watch the trailer above, and stay tuned for the full film this fall.

Trail Twins: La Traversée du Vaucluse

“Trail Twins” is a new video that follows old friends Marvin and Thomas as they skirt the foothills of Ventoux and scale the tracks and trails of the heart of Provence. They pedal through scenic villages and several UNESCO Biosphere reserves, taking on a rugged mixed-terrain route and stopping at the Café du Cycliste store in Bedoin.

Transcontinental Race Mike Hall Bursary Winners

Since its introduction at TCRNo8, the Mike Hall Bursary has supported riders from all over the world, introducing new people and voices to the race and community. The Bursary aims to make the TCR more inclusive by supporting riders who otherwise couldn’t afford to have the chance to race across Europe. This year’s bursary winners are Fran Scott (33) from Brighton, UK; Joschka Völkel (26) from Regensburg, Germany; Mersedeh Chegini (33) from Tehran, Iran; and Aiperi Bakirova (36) from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Read more at LostDot.cc.

Panorama Cycles: Not All Steel Frames Are the Same

In Panorama Cycles’ latest blog post, they dive into the world of steel and share the process of selecting steel tubing, the rationale behind these decisions, and why not all steel bikes are created equal. It’s an interesting read if you’ve ever wondered about different types of steel, stiffness, and why certain materials make a good bikepacking bike. Read the blog post here.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

Lost Elephant Ultra Race

The Lost Elephant Ultra Race is nestled quietly between the Purcell Mountains and the Southern Rockies in British Columbia’s East Kootenay Region. The route changes year to year and for the last few years has offered a Jumbo (longer) and a Dumbo (shorter) version. There are 40 riders registered for live tracking and you can follow them along live starting tomorrow at 6:00am local time.

Oregon Timber Trail 300/700 Race and Tour

The Oregon Timber Trail Race and Tour is an unofficial bikepacking event along the spine of Oregon from the California border to the Washington border. The majority of the route is singletrack. There are 15 riders signed up for live tracking for the grand depart, which takes off near the California border tomorrow morning at 8:00am. Follow their progress live here.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, some runners up from the 2024 Swift Campout Video Challenge…

Further Reading

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

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