This week’s Debrief features ridiculous innovations, a cloud-filled Titanium Firefly, the new Mason Raw hardtail, an event to follow live, and much more. Find it all here…
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…
Fox’s New Speedframe RS and Pro Helmets
$199-279 at Fox Racing
Fox’s newly released Speedframe RS and Pro helmets quickly set a new benchmark for safety, earning the #1 and #2 ranking in Virginia Tech’s prestigious 5-star helmet rating. Designed for elevated protection, the RS model features Mips Integra Split, a system engineered to reduce rotational forces during impacts, whereas the slightly less costly Pro uses Mips Air Node. Another difference between the two is that the RS has a new Ionic+ moisture-wicking liner to keep sweat in check, and the Pro has a removable, washable liner. Both models use the BOA Fit System for a micro-adjustable fit, a FIDLOCK magnetic buckle for easy one-handed fastening, and the three-position adjustable visor. The big change from last year’s model Logan mentioned in his 2024 Editor’s Dozen is a new integrated sunglasses holder, a thoughtful touch for riders who frequently rotate eyewear.
Redesigned Chris King Espresso Tamper
Made in USA / $150 at Chris King
Chris King has been making and selling espresso tampers for years, and their latest batch features a refined design with a 15mm shorter handle for improved usability. The new tamper stands 70mm tall, with a 58mm base diameter and 10mm base depth, weighing in at 420g. Lead Designer and resident coffee expert Jay SyCip explains, “Many top baristas use their fingertips to gauge the levelness of the tamper piston against the porta-filter’s edge, but longer handles can interfere. This adjustment provides better precision and control for all baristas. It’s a subtle change, but one we felt was important.” Inspired by their iconic headset, the tamper’s design adds a little bike bling to any espresso setup. It retails for $150, available exclusively on the Chris King website.
Buddy Boy Adventure Waste Kit
Made in California / 235 grams / $55 at Buddy Boy

The Buddy Boy Adventure Waste Kit is a 3.3-liter (200 cubic inch), ultra-light receptacle designed for at least five days of adventure. Made from recyclable and washable HDPE, it features an odor-proof, leak-proof sub-lid with a secure screw-top cap. The complete kit includes a water-resistant envelope with zipper, five unbleached natural deposit mats, five MicrobiaLogic RTB780 Bacterial Cultures to aid composting during use, 10 compostable waste bags, nylon stuff sack with toggle. The whole thing weighs 8.3 ounces and measures 6″ in diameter and 9.25” tall.
Discounted Velo Orange Polyvalents
Made in Taiwan / $595 at Velo Orange

To make room for their Spring influx of new frames and components, Velo Orange is now offering deep discounts on their existing stock of Polyvalent Low Kicker and Polyvalent Diamond frames. For a limited time, they’re just $595 (down from $925)!
Updated Mason RAW
Made in Scotland / £1,800 at Mason Cycles

MASON Cycles has updated the RAW to feature custom Italian-made dropouts designed around the Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH) standard. This brings the Scottish-made steel frame in line with modern drivetrain compatibility, following the aluminum Macro, which launched with UDH last year.
According to founder Dom Mason, the move aligns with MASON’s commitment to versatility, particularly in its flat-bar adventure bikes. UDH offers standardized spare parts and maximum gearing flexibility, whether using SRAM’s Transmission system or a traditional derailleur. With its growing adoption in the mountain bike world, UDH is a logical addition to the RAW.
To mark the update, MASON introduces a new color: Accursed Ochre, inspired by the rich red soil of Albania’s Accursed Mountains, as captured in photos by team rider Josh Ibbett.
Cane Creek GRX spider
80 grams / $69.99 at Cane Creek

The Cane Creek GRX spider is designed to seamlessly integrate Shimano GRX chainrings with eeWings titanium cranks, offering a clean mounting solution for both 1x and 2x GRX setups. Made from 7075 aluminum, it features machined pocketing on the backside to optimize stiffness while minimizing weight to 80g. With a 2.5mm offset, it maintains the 47mm GRX chainline when mounted to eeWings cranks and is compatible with 110mm x 4-bolt and 80mm x 4-bolt GRX BCD standards.
REVERSE Colab Chain Tensioner
Made in Germany / 162 grams / 170€ at Reverse Components
The Reverse Colab Expert Chain tensioner isn’t new, but we ran across it this week and thought it was worth sharing. It’s made for downhill use on full-suspension mountain bikes, but we’re curious how it might look on a hardtail, too. And it comes in silver and purple. The Expert boasts 15mm of chainline adjustability using a pinch bolt on the mounting bracket and a high spring tension. If anyone has any experience with it, leave a note in the conversation below. UPDATE: we just learned that the Colab maxes out at a 17-tooth cog. That’s a bummer, but maybe Reverse will be inspired to make a version with more clearance. 20/21t max would be nice.
In Conversation
Exchanges and ideas that caught our attention in the site’s conversation section…
Ridiculousness or Genius Innovation?

Logan: This week we were privy to one of the weirdest product innovations we’ve seen in a long while. 9point8’s INVRS pedals add spikes to your shoes and put the sticky rubber on the pedals, thus reversing the typical shoe/pedal interface. I for one thought it was silly. But then again, their argument is that you wear out the rubber panels on the replaceable pedal rubber instead of entire pairs of shoes, and since there’s no pins on the pedals, you can avoid shredded shins and calves. Both are fair points. Still, I find the whole system to be over the top, and I can’t imagine destroying a whole set of pins on a single extended hike-a-bike. But who knows. You have to break eggs to make an omelette. That made me ask my colleagues, “what are some of the most ridiculous innovations you’ve seen in the bike industry?” Nic pointed out the RAF 1 airbag backpack and the Structure suspension platform, and I mentioned this thing. What about you? What do you think is the most ridiculous idea you’ve seen come out of the bike industry—good or bad? Let us know in the conversation below. Also, what do you think about the iNVRS pedals?
Around the Community
News from around the bikepacking world…
Firefly Cycles #FF1424
We saw this beautiful titanium fat bike, complete with a belt drive and Pinion transmission from Firefly pop up in our feed earlier this week and thought it was worth sharing. Look at those clouds!
Ritchey Retires UCI Stripes

After more than 30 years of a logo synonymous with victories at UCI World Cup and Championship races, Ritchey is retiring the iconic rainbow stripes that have long identified its World Champion Series (WCS) product range, in accordance with UCI regulations. The agreement between Ritchey and the UCI to use the world champion stripes expired at the end of 2024 and is not eligible for renewal. Ritchey WCS products produced from January 2025 onward will feature a new logo in the same font type as before but each of the five stripes will now be a uniform shade of metallic gray.
Events Starting Soon
What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…
Huracan 300

The HuRaCaN 300 kicks off this weekend. This is considered the ultimate self-supported bikepacking race through the state of Florida, boasting over 100 miles of singletrack and some of Florida’s hardest and longest climbs. Follow along on the live tracking map here.
Wish We Were Here
Shedding a little light on a route one of us is dreaming about riding at the moment…
Logan: Peru Great Divide

I ran into a bikepacker the other day here in Oaxaca. We briefly chatted about rides and plans, and he mentioned that they were planning a trip on the Peru Great Divide. Once again, that got me dreaming about this route, which I think might have been the first route I ever added to my Bucket List in the Bikepacking Collective app. Hopefully one of these years I’ll be able to make it down there!
Weekly Social
Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, a lovely video documenting the custom steel tubeset Fairlight and Reynolds worked on for the new Strael 4.0 …
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