Friday Debrief: New Stooge Scrambler, Surly Weirdness, a DIY Top Tube 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…

Stooge Scrambler Restock

Made in Taiwan / £780 at Stooge

The latest batch of Stooge Scramblers has arrived and is available to order now. There are two sizes and two colors to pick from: dark ochre (Pantone 139) and mid-blue (Pantone 5483). The Scrambler is designed around 27.5 x 3.0″ tires, a rigid fork, and Stooge’s lineup of riser bars. Learn more about the Scrambler here.

Ornot Mission Shirt

Made in USA / $148 at Ornot Men’s Women’s

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Teased at the MADE bike show last week, the new Mission Shirt is the first button-up from San Francisco-based cycling apparel brand Ornot. The Mission Shirt is made from OEKO-TEX-certified, lightweight recycled fabric, comes in both men’s and women’s sizing, and offers UPF 30+ protection. It’s not cheap at $148, but if it’s anything like Miles’ Ornot Lightweight Mission Shorts, you can expect it to last.

Jones End of Summer Sale

Price varies at Jones Bikes

Like many brands, Jones is offering a limited time sale on apparel, wheels, framesets, and bikes. There are some good deals to be had if you’ve had your eye on a new Jones. That includes free shipping on everything and $75 off pre-built Jones aluminum wheels, $450 off steel framesets, $550 off complete bicycles, $750 off titanium framesets, and 50% off all Jones apparel.

Gravelstoke x Topo Designs Top Tube Bag

Made in USA / $65 at Gravelstoke

Gravelstoke and Topo Designs have teamed up on a limited edition top tube bag run, all made from recycled and weatherproof materials, including a heavy-duty weatherproof zipper. The bag attaches via removable/adjustable velcro straps, there are three color options to choose from, and they are designed in California by Danny Geary.

Paper Roads Bag Updates

Made in New Zealand / $85+ NZD at Paper Roads

Paper Roads in New Zealand recently updated several of their bags thanks to a huge leap in efficiency with a new in-house laser cutter. This has allowed improvements to be made to their made-to-order products and will also eventually allow them to expand on their readymade items. Updates include revised Trail Panniers, an updated Ranger Harness, tweaked top tube bags, a new bento box/hip bag, and a brand-new musette.

20% Off Esker Japhy Framesets and Completes

Made in Taiwan / $2,400+ (complete) at Esker Cycles

It’s Japhy appreciation month at Esker Cycles, and Esker thinks more people should be enjoying the Japhy, so they are putting it on sale. Right now, you can get 20% off all Japhy steel frames and complete bikes, which includes build upgrades available on their website. Use the code “JAPHYAPPRECIATION” at checkout or head to your closest Esker dealer to save.

PNW Range Pedals in Moss Green

Made in Taiwan / $49 at PNW Components

After countless customer requests, PNW Components has expanded its Range Pedals lineup with a fresh Moss Green colorway. The Range Pedal features a comfy and concave 115 x 108mm platform that cradles the foot and provides good clearance for trail obstacles. Thanks to their tough glass-fiber-reinforced nylon construction, the Range Pedal is quite lightweight at just 390 grams per pair, too. Learn more about them here.

The Functional Sewing Project DIY Top Tube Bag

DIY / $9 at The Functional Sewing Project

The Functional Sewing Project just released its latest sewing pattern, and it’s an infinitely useful top tube bag. Their pattern uses a flap closure, sturdy construction, and foam padding. It can be made on a basic home sewing machine and doesn’t require any special tools.

Cyber Cycles Triple Spider

Made in EU / €89.90 at Cyber Cycles

Those who aren’t quite ready to abandon the front derailleur will be excited to hear that Cyber Cycles in Germany has released a new Triple Spider for their Cyber Cranks. They simply milled five additional 58 holes in their double spider, and they’re including matching spacers and 17mm titanium chainring bolts that are made exclusively for Cyber Cycles.

More kLite Combo Mounts

Made in Australia / $55 at kLite

kLite, makers of the kLite ULTRA dynamo light and a number of dynamo USB chargers, recently expanded their mounting options with a variety of combo kits that have a spot to mount your favorite GPS device on top, with a GoPro-style mount underneath for your kLite dynamo light. There are options that mount to your bar, aero bars, and their new round Micro USB charger.

SimWorks Limited Gold Collection

$28+ at Sim.Works

Teased at the MADE handmade bike show, SimWorks just launched their new limited edition gold collection of on their web store. It’s a lovely satin gold finish that’s available in pedal cage options for both Bubbly and Tiny Bubbly pedals, Sim Drops in both sizes, as well as Rhonda faceplates, and an all new headset top cap with their iconic heart and arrow icon. They won’t last long, so pick some up before they’re gone!

In Conversation

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

Surly Weirdness

One of our favorite comments from the Surly Moonlander was, “Surly is at its best when at its weirdest.” We hope to see more out of the box thinking from Surly in 2025. We’d especially love to see Krampus and ECR revamps. What’s the next Surly you’d like to see? Leave us a note in the Conversation below.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

Revelate Designs in Hiring!

Our friends at Revelate Designs are hiring a Customer Service Expert. The position is full-time, based at Revelate headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska, and they offer health and retirement benefits, paid time off, a collaborative, fun, and creative working environment, and industry discounts. Learn more and apply here.

Caletti + Warpaint Outdoors Raffle

Caletti Cycles and Warpaint Outdoors teamed up on a stunning titanium gravel bike build featuring a full suite of parts from Chris King, SRAM, and ENVE, and they’re raffling it off in support of Warpaint Outdoors’ mission to diversity the outdoors and uplift Indigenous-focused organizations and programs. Tickets are $10 each, and the drawing will take place on October 31st, 2024. Entrants must be US residents and at least 18 years of age. Find details here.

We Will Never be Here Again by Svein Tuft

Svein Tuft, one of Canada’s most successful professional cyclists, has teamed up with award-winning journalist and writer, Richard Abraham, on a new book that’s being launched via Kickstarter. We Will Never be Here Again is an inspirational adventure story, a candid sports autobiography, and the intellectual meditations of a shy yet singular individual. Learn more and back the project here.

Bike Check and Design Talk: Sklar Tall Tale Hardtail

In Sklar Bikes’ latest video, Adam dives into the design of their first production mountain bike, including considerations like geometry, yoke design, tubing selection and component compatibility. In the video, Adam also shares some details on his personal Tall Tale build. Tall Tales should be arriving at Sklar HQ any day and are available to pre-order now. Ensure you get yours at SklarBikes.com.

Tucson Gear Lending DIY Frame Bag Class

Tucson Gear Lending is putting on a DIY frame bag class where participants will learn the basics of drafting a pattern, cutting it out, assembling and sewing a frame bag. Their Sewing 101 course is a prerequisite, and they have loaner sewing machines available upon request. Classes are on September 22nd, October 13th, November 17th, and December 1st, and run from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Learn more here.

This Saturday: Hidden in Plain Sight World Premiere

Hidden in Plain Sight is a compelling exploration of human resilience and the often-overlooked beauty that surrounds us. Shot entirely in Los Angeles, this documentary follows a diverse group of cyclists on a transformative two-day bikepacking journey through the rugged landscapes of the Santa Monica Mountains. The film not only explores the personal stories and challenges faced by the cyclists but also highlights the incredible diversity and accessibility of the Santa Monica Mountains and their recreation possibilities. The World Premiere is this Saturday at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California. It’s the final feature in the 10 a.m. slot.

2024 Ascend Armenia Podium

After a successful inaugural event in 2023, exactly 20 riders lined up in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, for the 2024 Ascend Armenia event—a self-supported ultra-distance bikepacking race following a 1,200-kilometer route over a diverse and challenging mix of terrain and surfaces. A huge congrats goes out to the top three finishers of this year’s event: Pavel Machacek (5D:03H:33M), Aleksandr Stoliarov (5D:09H:01M), and Nicola Bellamoli (5D:10H:59M). Follow Ascend Armenia on Instagram for more.

Time Well Spent: A Costa Brava Bikepacking Adventure

In Jack Thompson’s (aka Jack Ultra Cyclist) latest video, he shares his experience bikepacking along the Spanish Costa Brava with is friend Yuri Hauswald. “We had no intention of riding fast or setting records, but rather getting to know one another and making the most of the little time we get to spend together given our locations on separate continents.”

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

Smoke ‘n’ Fire 400

The Idaho Smoke ‘n’ Fire 400 is a 400ish mile self-supported mountain bike route traversing some of Idaho’s diverse geography on two-track, big gravel and dirt Forest Service roads, singletrack, and some paved roads. The 2024 grand depart left Boise, Idaho, on Wednesday morning and most riders are already well over the halfway point. Follow them live here.

L’Esperit de Girona

L’Esperit de Girona is a challenging 800-kilometer self-supported event that starts and finishes in Girona, Spain. The 2024 grand depart starts on Saturday at at 8 a.m. local time, and you can follow their progress live here.

Alps Divide

The Alps Divide is a 1,000-kilometer bikepacking challenge from the Mediterranean Sea to Lake Geneva. The route is filled with high mountain passes, alpine pastures, turquoise lakes, and historic military gravel roads, accumulating 32,000 meters of climbing along the way. The grand depart kicks off tomorrow from Menton at 8 a.m. with nearly 100 riders participating. Follow their progress live here.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, a handful of updates from the 2024 Badlands event in Spain. For more updates, check out our Tracker page.

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