Friday Debrief: Bungee Club, Bikepacking Tasmania, Ultimate Tarp Setup, 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…

Bassi Hog’s Back Matte Black and Sandy Beige Restock

Made in Taiwan / $1,250 CAD at C&L Cycle

Due to popular demand, Bassi Bikes in Quebec brought back a batch of Matte Black and Sandy Beige Hog’s Backs, and they’re available now. The Hog’s Back is an incredibly versatile steel touring, commuting, ATBing, do-everything bike with clearance for big 27.5 x 2.2″ tires and all the mounting points you could ever need. Make sure to check out our review here.

PNW Carbon Loam Bar with 50mm Rise

Made in Taiwan / $159 at PNW Components

PNW’s popular Loam Bar is rated for e-bikes and downhill riding, relying on a patent-pending carbon layup for chatter-absorbing flex without sacrificing control when needed. PNW just added a 50mm rise version to the lineup, available in both 31.8mm and 35mm clamp sizes, with the same 800mm width, 5° upsweep, and 10° backsweep as the other models.

Driveside x Slow Coast “Be Brave & Give a Wave” Longsleeve

Made in Canada / $39.99 CAD at Driveside

• 
• 

The “Be Brave & Give a Wave” longsleeves are a collaboration between Canada’s Slow Coast event and The Driveside. Hand screenprinted in Hamilton, Ontario, the shirts are a reminder to be brave and wave at your fellow trail and road users. The designs are printed on high-quality 100% cotton Comfort Colors longsleeves and are available for pre-order now.

Last Day to Pre-Order the Viral Dérive

Made in Taiwan / $5,595 USD at Viral Bikes

Today’s the final day to pre-order a Viral Dérive to ensure a March delivery! The Viral Dérive is a trail and bikepacking-ready titanium hardtail designed around a Pinion gearbox and a Gates belt drive. Neil reviewed the previous model last year and summarized its geometry as versatile and grounded, offering a ride quality that feels great loaded up with gear. To quote his review, “If I were to imagine the perfect bike built around the Pinion gearbox, I feel like the Dérive is it.” Learn more about it here.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

A 3-Day Bikepacking Adventure in Northwest Tasmania

For their New Year’s ride, our friends Mick Turnbull and Danielle O’Hara started in Stanley and rode a mix of gravel and sealed roads that took them from the wild coast to dense temperate rainforest to green rolling farmlands. They camped, rode up and down hills, said hello to the wildlife, and had a great time. Watch the video they made above.

Updated Wolf Tooth Tire Pressure Calculator V2

This week, Wolf Tooth Components updated its Bike Tire Pressure Calculator App with a number of new features and tweaks. Changes include added road tire pressure calculations, wider tire widths allowed with Basic calculator in each category, road up to 35mm, gravel up to 60mm, mountain up to 84mm, fat up to 130mm, added 26″ gravel wheel diameter, 29″ tire option in the Fat calculator for those running 29+, a higher max rider weight, and general bug fixes. Find the original press release here.

How Radical Adventure Riders builds inclusive cycling communities

In the latest All Bodies on Bikes podcast episode, Marley and Ellen speak with Zahra Alabanza, organizer at Radical Adventure Riders (RAR) about the organization’s beginnings, purposefully creating a space within cycling for FTWNB and BIPOC, leaning into community resources, and much more.

My Little Bungee Club

Take a Trip, makers of My Little Bungee, just launched the My Little Bungee Club… and you’re invited! They’re looking for creative and high-quality photos of their infinitely useful cargo bungees being used. In exchange, they’re offering free bungees, exclusive gear, and other perks. Learn more and join the club at MyLittleBungee.Club. You can also give the Bungee Hotline a call at (844) 623-7522.

BAM! Moves to Villa Contarini in Piazzola sul Brenta, Italy.

BAM! is the first European meeting for cycle travelers, featuring group rides, workshops, meetings, speeches, contests, books, music, and parties. The 11th edition is moving to Villa Contarini in Piazzola sul Brenta, Italy, and happens on June 6 to 8th, 2025. Tickets are free, and you can learn more here.

New Year, New Cycling Teams

A new year means bike brands have been busy announcing their 2025 ambassador and riding teams recently, and a few that caught our attention. Pictured above is the 2025 Salsa sponsored rider list. Teravail tires announced its 2025 athlete team, and PEdALED welcomed back three talented cyclists for their roster. Congrats to all the cyclists who found brand support for 2025!

The Ultimate Tarp Setup for Ultralight Bikepacking Adventures

Dylan Turner, host of The Endurance Studio podcast, just released a helpful new video sharing his ultralight, affordable, and versatile tarp shelter for bikepacking adventures. The complete system weighs just 13.73oz (388g), it was tested on the Colorado Trail, and it’s compact, weather-ready, and easy to assemble in under 8 minutes.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, a short Instagram video from @hotdogsonwheelz documenting a winter bikepacking trip to Salt Spring Island…

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🌭🚴🏻‍♂️💨 (@hotdogsonwheelz)

Further Reading

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

Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.