The Debrief: Pink Cerakote, Women of the HT550, Hug Life, and More

We started “The Debrief” on our YouTube channel last year as a way of highlighting the week’s news and things that caught our attention on the website, in the conversation, and elsewhere around the community. To take this a step further, we’re posting a weekly Debrief here on the site to highlight all of those things and more, including upcoming events and interesting things 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…

Limited Edition Morse Cage Ti — Pink Cerakote

The latest colour option in Wolf Tooth’s growing line of titanium Morse Cages is a limited edition pink Cerakote. Named for its dot-dash-dot-dash mounting pattern, the Morse Cage has a variety of mounting points that provide up to 32mm of vertical adjustment.

$84.95 / Made in USA / Details

AGU Venture Bags

Based in the Netherlands, AGU just released a line of classic-looking bikepacking bags that includes a burrito bag, stem bag, a couple of handlebar bags, and more. The bags are made from 100% recycled polyester fabric called Green Sphere. Learn more over at Agu.com.

New Apparel from Cascada

The team at Cascada in Italy let us know about some new items in their 2022 apparel lineup, including fresh lightweight trail T-shirts, jerseys, cargo bib shorts, long sleeves, and more.

$55-198 / Made in Italy / Details

Sand Stone / Robin Egg Blue Austere Buckles

Austere Manufacturing just released a new Sand Stone / Robin Egg Blue cam locking buckle colour combo, and it might be our favourite yet. Each buckle is CNC machined to a very high tolerance in a small workshop inside a barn on Washington’s Kitsap Peninsula, and they’re great for lashing down dry bags onto racks, securing gear in cargo cages, and more. Make sure to check out our recent shop visit article to learn more about Austere.

$22.50 / Made in USA / Details

Dignity & Truth Fundraiser

This summer, our friend Erick Cedeño will be heading out on a trip to retrace the 1897 journey of the 25th Infantry Buffalo Soldier Bicycle Corps, an all-Black group of soldiers that was tasked with testing the feasibility of using bicycles for military operations. He’ll ride their 41-day, 1,900-mile track between Missoula, Montana, and St. Louis, Missouri, using the trip to call attention to the role Black soldiers played in the United States’ history. He’s asking for support to make the journey possible, and you can learn more about the trip and make a donation on GoFundMe.

Understanding Cycling Shoes with QUOC

A few weeks ago, QUOC founder Quoc Pham presented at Cycling Fashion Week to talk about cycling shoes, offer some thoughts on style vs. comfort vs. performance, and share more about his high-fashion background and passion for shoes. Give the episode a listen below.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

Cycling UK Launches New Cantii Way

Yesterday, Cycling UK unveiled the new Cantii Way, a 145-mile tour of Kent that they’re positioning as a perfect introduction to bikepacking. Traveling along mostly traffic-free pavement through a variety of quirky coastal towns, it mixes in a handful of dirt segments, views of dramatic chalk cliffs, and rolling terrain. You can learn more and download the route at CyclingUK.org.

Juliet Elliot’s 7 Tips for Bikepacking with Kids

YouTuber Juliet Elliot shares her advice on how to set up a bikepacking trip with kids for success. In seven points, she covers preparation, gear planning, routing, setting up camp, and activities to do along the way to keep kids entertained.

Women of The Highland Trail 550

From the Steezy Collective: “Jade Field, our budding ultra-distance legend, adventure rep and blogger has collated an article exploring the women of the 2022 Highland Trail. With the most women ever to hit the start line of the mass start event, she’s investigated what it means to race this mammoth route.” Read the article at SteezyCollective.com.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

2022 Highland Trail 550 (HT550)

The Highland Trail is a self-supported mountain bike route that’s 550 miles in length with over 16,000 meters of climbing. The majority of the route is on excellent trails and quiet roads, but it includes some boggy and highly technical sections. The grand depart is tomorrow morning, and you can follow along live here.

2022 Tuscany Trail

The ninth official Tuscany Trail ride offers the perfect taste of the essence of Tuscany, passing through enchanted forests and centuries-old towns and villages. Hundreds of cyclists from more than 30 countries around the world join every year. This time around, there are 3,000 riders registered.

Wish We Were Here

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

Jeanne LePoix (@jeannelepoix): Tour du Mont Blanc

At the end of June, a group of friends (the Wild Velo Club) and I are planning, to tackle a trip on the roof of Europe: the Tour du Mont Blanc, a loop totaling 8,000 meters of ascent over just 174 kilometers. Running or hiking around Mont Blanc is a dream for many lovers of the outdoors, and the mythical UTMB attracts thousands of people every year. The difficulty is high and the trails are particularly technical, with at least some hike-a-bike guaranteed. Doing this route by bike definitely promises its share of adventure. Straddling three countries—France, Switzerland and Italy—our route will be a succession of high-altitude pastures, glaciers, and rock formations, promising lots of scenery to enjoy and many rewards for our efforts.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. Here are a couple of good ones from two of our favorite bag companies. First, a personal post from Kyle Ng of Outer Shell that’s worth reading through. Second, some portraits from the Wilson’s Ramble from Rockgeist.

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