Friday Debrief: Blue Lug x Swift Collab, 2025 Brother Stroma, Wizard Works Offcuts, 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…

Blue Lug x Swift Industries Limited Edition Collection

Made in USA / $235+ at Blue Lug

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Blue Lug in Japan liked Swift Industries’ original bags so much that they asked them to make a special limited edition run in the original Cordura fabric. This is the last US-made batch from Swift Industries made from Cordura instead of the updated EcoPak fabrics. The collection includes the Zeitgeist handlebar bag and Jr. Ranger Panniers.

Alpacka Raft Mage

Made in USA / $1,600 at Alpacka Raft

The new Alpacka Raft Mage is the brand’s latest packraft designed specifically for intermediate and advanced whitewater packrafters who are looking to explore wild places and expect to navigate Class III to IV water. It weighs less than the Valkyrie V3 but offers increased cargo capacity for extended trips.

2025 Brother Stroma Framesets

Made in Taiwan / £999 at Brother Cycles

Brother Cycles in the UK just opened orders for their 2025 Stroma framesets. They call it an “all-road, fast gravel, endurance bike,” and it’s now available in two fresh paint options (Rubble and Electric Blue) with an updated carbon fork that features internal dynamo routing.

New Merch from The Rvmble

Varies at The Rvmble

“Cycling is not a sport” is a familiar quote to many cyclists in Germany. It was first popularized a few years ago by the Hamburg-based brand Ahrberg on their T-shirts. Now, in celebration of The Rvmble’s 11th anniversary, it’s making a comeback. The Rvmble now has new Ts, hoodies, and sweatshirts featuring the slogan on offer in their latest apparel release, plus a whole lot more.

Nemo Tensor Elite Sleeping Pad: Their Lightest Yet

215 and 240 grams / $200-230 at Nemo

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The new Nemo Tensor Elite is the lightest Tensor sleeping pad to date, designed for warm-weather and three-season bikepacking. Offered in mummy silhouettes, it has an R-value of 2.4 and weighs just 215-240 grams (without accessories) thanks to its 10D Cordura nylon construction and single-layer aluminum film insulation. The pad features the Apex baffle system for a stable, noise-free 3″ thickness and comes in two sizes: the Short Mummy (63″ long, 20″ wide, 305 grams with accessories) and the Regular Mummy (72″ long, 20″ wide, 330 grams with accessories). Both pack into a compact 5.5 x 3.0″ cylinder and use a micro-adjustable TPU valve. The Regular retails for $229.95 and the Short for $199.95.

Two Bikes Just Ride Snoopy Shirts

$24.99 at Two Bikes

The latest T-shirt design from Two Bikes in Tennessee features some charming artwork Emily Miller depicting Snoopy reading a copy of Grant Peterson’s Just Ride. It’s available in sizes S-XXXL and is also offered as a water bottle. Two Bikes is a great non-profit shop worth supporting, and they always have the best merch!

Rene Herse Ultimate Headset

Made in Taiwan / $199+ at Rene Herse Cycles

The Rene Herse Ultimate Headset aims to take 1″ headsets to the next level with durable, replaceable needle bearings that are touted to last as long as your bike and provide slight damping to reduce the risk of shimmy. To ensure alignment under hard braking, the upper and lower bearings are oriented in opposite directions. The headset also features a locknut for compatibility with headset spacers and cable hangers.

Wizard Works Offcuts Collection

Made in UK / £13+ at Wizard Works

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Wizard Works’ Offcuts Collection is a small lineup of bags that are made from scraps of leftover fabric from discontinued custom bags. Rather than throwing them away, they turned these bits and pieces into useful items. There are three Offcuts items in the sale section on the Wizard Works website: the Offcuts Sling Bag, Offcuts, Accessory Pouch, and the Offcuts Studio Bowl. Stock is limited, and prices are low.

Handup Trail Rambler Pants

Made in China / $84 at Handup Gloves

The new Handup Trail Rambler Pants are technical riding pants with a silicon-printed stretch waistband, five zip-pockets, ankle zips, and a self locking waist buckle and strap. They’re made from a lightweight but sturdy nylon/spandex blend, come in two colors (steel grey and cool black), and are priced competitively at $84 USD.

HMPL Big Jim + Slim Jim Top Tube Bags

Made in Canada / $75+ at HMPL Big Jim Slim Jim

HMPL in Vancouver, British Columbia, quietly released updated versions of its Big Jim and Slim Jim top tube bags this week. The Big Jim now features a cable port on the front of the bag, larger volume to accommodate all phone sizes, and updated removable plastic side panels. Slim Jim got a redesigned shape, more volume, and the same upgraded removable plastic side panels. Both bags are available in either a bolt-on or velcro-on design in a wide range of colors and fabrics.

Yark Components Cable Buddy

Made in USA / $20 at Yark on Etsy

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Pennsylvanian component and gizmo manufacturer Yark Components designed the Cable Buddy as a cleaner, more elegant way to secure loose dynamo wiring. The Cable Buddy works with tubes that are 0.5-2.0″ in diameter and 3-5mm cables. Purchase includes the Cable Buddy and a low-profile zip tie to attach it to your frame, fork, or seatpost.

Cotic Solaris Promo video

Made in Czechia / £999+ at Cotic

Cotic put out this new video earlier in the week celebrating their flagship do-it-all hardtail. The 29er frame is made in Czechia from a Reynolds 853 steel tubeset, and if it’s anything like the SolarisMax we tested, it probably feels pretty good on those chunky UK trails in the video.

Anodized Austere Buckles

Made in USA / $25+ at Austere MFG

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Previously only available with a Cerakote finish, Austere Manufacturing has expanded their buckle and belt lineup to include anodized options that integrate into the material for a more permanent finish. The popular 1″ and 3/4″ Cam Buckles are available in a few combinations of black and raw anodizations already, and belts are coming soon.

In Conversation

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

Non-bike Gear That Makes Good Bikepacking Gear

We were excited to see several comments offering a variety of solutions to accompany our Military Sustainment Pouch Mini-Pannier tutorial earlier this week. Sharing insight and options is the spirit of DIY, and you can find many similar conversations in many of our MYOBG posts. The fact that these pouches have been widely adopted by the bikepacking community got us thinking: what other non-bike gear is commonly appropriated for use with a bikepacking or bike touring set up. Let us know if you have any suggestions in the conversation below.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

Ignite Components is Closing

After five years of business, Ignite Components in California is shutting down operation. Owned and operated by Ian Colquhoun, Ignite made some of the most stunning CNC-machined cranks and chainrings out there. It was fun to finally meet Ian in person at the inaugural MADE bike show, and we wish him all the best with whatever comes next. Read Ian’s announcement here.

Moots 4,000-Mile Update

After almost a year on his MOOTS, which we featured in a Rider and Rig post, Justin McKinley thought it was time for a bit of an update. You can find out how this bike fared after 4,000 miles of hard use in the video above.

Bicycles Pubes Bike Drawing Fundraiser for Mental Health Support

Despite posting a lot of whacky and often hilarious photos on his feed, every now and again, Bicycle Pubes creates charming digital drawings of bikes to raise money for mental health support. This year, a $50 donation to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) gets you a bad 1000 x 1000-ish pixel MS paint drawing of your bicycle. To get yours, all you need to do is donate, send a screenshot of your receipt and a picture of your bike to Bicycle Pubes, and wait. Learn more here.

The Unicycling Unicorn: Official Trailer

The Unicycling Unicorn follows Jamey Mossengren, a former engineer who gave up everything to become a street performer and travel the world in his van. The film culminates in a jaw-dropping attempt to set the world record for riding a 44-foot unicycle. Stay tuned for the full film!

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

JayP’s Backyard Fat Pursuit

JayP’s Backyard Fat Pursuit is a 60 or 200-kilometer bike race on a network of groomed snowmobile trails, but the term “groomed” is relative. The event started this morning from Island Park, Idaho, with nearly 70 riders signed up for live tracking. Head over to the event page to follow their progress live.

Shaky Isles Challenge

Starting in Aotearoa/New Zealand’s Deep South at the summit of Bluff Hill/Motupōhue, the Shaky Isles Challenge weaves its way north through Aotearoa to finish on the beach of Spirits Bay/Kapowairua in the far north. There are just a handful of riders taking on this epic 2,900-kilometer route, and you can follow their progress live here.

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