Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
This week’s Debrief asks the question, “Do forever bikes really exist?” and features the new 2025 Jamis Renegade S2, Party Leopard bags, a more affordable Link Wrench, several events 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…
Café Du Cycliste Evie Shorts
Made in Romania / $170 at Cafe Du Cycliste
New-ish to the Cafe Du Cycliste lineup are the Evie shorts. Inspired by French cycling tradition, these lightweight polyester shorts are a great alternative styling to typical cycling fare for long summer days. Lycra certainly has a time and place, but these cool, stylish shorts seem to straddle the line between comfort and performance for those who are less-than-comfortable wearing bibs.
Wilde Bikes Aposematic Cap
Made in Italy / $24 at Wilde Bikes
Wilde Bikes has added another unique design to their loud line of apparel with the Aposematic Cap. Designed by artist Brett Stenson, the semi-floral, almost hallucinogenic pattern was inspired by Brett’s fascination with the markings of the Poison Dart Frog family. A mix of cotton and polyester, this looks like a great addition to anybody’s collection of colorful cycling caps.
Dyed in the Wool Party Leopard Print
Made in Poland / Available Now at Dyed in the Wool
Dyed in the Wool just released a new limited edition print/fabric option for any of their made-to-order bags. The name? Party Leopard! The Party Leopard print can be chosen for any of their standard or custom bags, and is found under the “performance/custom printed” fabric option when choosing your bag specs.
Forager Cycles Link Wrench in 316 Stainless Steel
Made in USA / $29 at Forager Cycles
The Forager Cycles Link Wrench combines three common box-end sizes and another unexpected trick in a lightweight and user-friendly package. It’s one of our favorite tools for rack installs and adjustments, and the fact that it’s handmade in Washington state is the cherry on top. Forager Cycles just announced a more affordable Stainless Steel version, available for $29 USD,with the same functional design as the titanium version. Unlike the original version, both the Ti and Steel Link Wrenches are CNC-machined at Forager’s shop on the Olympic Peninsula.
Ornot NuYarn Merino Riding Tee
Made in USA / $85 at Ornot Men’s Women’s
The new Ornot NuYarn Merino Riding Tee is made from 100% RWS-certified Nuyarn Merino, making it breathable, soft, quick-drying, and eight times more durable than your average wool, according to Ornot. It has bike specific tailoring with a small rear pocket, men’s and women’s sizing, and multiple colors to choose from.
State Bicycle Co. x NFL
Made in Taiwan / $499 at State Bicycle Co.
State Bicycle Co. has been known for some questionable off-brand collaborations, so the announcement that they’re entering a year-long collaboration with the National Football League (NFL) is surprisingly unsurprising. The NFL x State Bicycle Co. Collection will feature several models, including the State Klunker, as well as apparel and bags adorned with official team graphics. The first wave of the collection will launch with 10 teams: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears, and the New York Giants.
2025 Jamis Renegade S2
Made in Taiwan / $2,399-2,499 at Jamis
Jamis quietly unveiled their latest Renegade steel S2 earlier this month. The “V2” version of this O.G. steel all-road bike is built around a Reynolds 631 double-butted chromoly frame and a carbon monocoque fork with flip-chip adjustability and plenty of mounts. It’s offered in two builds: the S2 Apex and the S2 GRX. The S2 Apex ($2,499.95) features a SRAM Apex 12-speed drivetrain with a 40T chainring and 11–44T cassette, paired with Apex hydraulic brakes. The S2 GRX ($2,399.95) comes equipped with an 11-speed Shimano GRX drivetrain and GRX hydraulic brakes. Both versions roll on Boyd GVL tubeless wheels and WTB Raddler 700 x 40mm tires, making them well-suited for gravel riding. You can also get a Reynolds 631 framekit for $1,100 in a more muted paint scheme.
Three New Stooge Dirt Tracker Colors
Made in Taiwan / £780 at Stooge Cycles
The Stooge Dirt Tracker was released in 2024 as a a modern 29+ tribute to British tracker bikes from the 1960s and ’70s. Despite only coming in one size, Logan praised its ride quality, playfulness, and beautiful aesthetic in his review last year. In fact, it took the top spot in our 2024 Bikepacking Gear of the Year Awards because he loved riding it so much. Stooge just opened up pre-orders for the next batch of Dirt Trackers, available in “three fabulous colours that time travelled all the way from the 1970s,” Royal Maroon, Scramblin’ Blue, and ’73 Green.
Bikepacking Collective Co-op Find: Summer’s Rivendell Appaloosa
Made in Taiwan / $2999 at Bikepacking Basecamp
Spotted on our Bikepacking Collective Basecamp Co-op peer-to-peer marketplace is this stunning 46cm Rivendell Appaloosa! One for the shorter people, this respectable build is from Summer Hanson out of the Cycle & Coffee in Seattle. Rocking that lovely Limeolive Green, Shimano STX drivetrain, Rene Herse Tires, super reliable vintage 3×7 Deore XT thumb shifters, and a special Brooks Flyer short saddle, this is a near-dream build just waiting for the right customer…
In Conversation
Exchanges and ideas that caught our attention in the site’s conversation section…
Is there really such thing as a forever bike?
The term “forever bike” was mentioned in Neil’s review of the Viral Wanderer, and a reader challenged whether it’s a relevant term to describe a bike. As we all know, it’s often associated with expensive titanium bikes—a material that’s seen as invincible, although that’s questionable. While durability and longevity are certainly real factors, particularly for folks into bikepacking, many people ride steel bikes for decades. From a practical standpoint, a “forever bike” might be better understood as a reliable, serviceable machine that can handle long-term, demanding use, like a multi-year bikepacking trip around the world. Rather than being defined by frame material or price tag, the true essence of a forever bike may lie in its ability to endure whatever adventures a rider throws at it, with minimal risk of failure. What do you think, does the idea of a “forever bike” hold water, or is it merely a marketing concept, justifying the high cost of titanium frames with premium components? Do you have a forever bike, or are you looking for one? Leave us a note in the conversation below.
Around the Community
News from around the bikepacking world…
Introducing Garner and Tow
Founded by Sara Thronton, Garner and Tow is a new bag maker with a focus on products that are adaptable, modular, and great for on and off the bike. The current lineup is made from waxed cotton canvas, are heritage-inspired, and designed and made in the USA. The Garner and Tow tote costs $350, the duffel costs $300, the sling/framebag costs $99, and the pouch costs $40. Visit GarnerandTow.com to learn more.
Brother in the Wild
Taking place on the Isle of Purbeck, this year’s edition of Brother In The Wild UK—a bikepacking event hosted by Brother Cycles—seems like another fantastic edition to one of the largest gatherings of cyclists in the country. Though the brand has taken the event to other places in Europe, their event in the UK is sort of a homecoming for the brand. With a shared basecamp, attendees choose their own adventure on a variety of routes set up by the brothers at Brother, with this year featuring a smorgasbord of stunning pine forests, dramatic coastal cliffs, beaches and endless gravel tracks. Stay tuned for updates on the Brother Cycles Instagram.
Baphomet Cycles Adaptive Cycling Q&A at Rapha Seattle
On Saturday, May 31st, Dillen Maurer, founder of Baphomet Bicycles, is talking about all things adaptive cycling, bikepacking, and sharing his story of overcoming the 2022 cycling accident that left him a below-knee amputee. The Q&A is hosted by Rapha Clubhouse in Seattle, Washington, and they are also selling raffle tickets with $5 from each ticket donated to the Range of Motion Project (ROMP). Learn more and RSVP here.
MAAP REPRGM Challenge
MAAP is kicking off the riding season with a fun new “PRGM” enticing people to simply get out and get active. If users log any activity of three hours or more from May 12th to 26th on Strava, they’ll receive a voucher for $75 AUD for anything on the MAAP site. With plenty of lifestyle and race-focused product on the site, the voucher actually goes quite a long way. Plus, who needs more than even a minor excuse to go on a long ride?
Robbie Webb’s Around the World Route
Last weekend, Robbie Danger Webb set a new Guinness World Record as the first openly transgender person to circumnavigate the globe by bicycle, riding over 29,000 kilometers in 337 days, 20 hours, and 17 minutes. Robbie shared a detailed reflection on the experience here, and just published a Komoot collection that includes every day of this massive accomplishment. Check out the full collection here.
Tailfin Rear Top Tube Bags | The Complete Guide
The Rear Top Tube Bag is the latest addition to Tailfin’s bikepacking lineup, designed to keep essential items easily accessible during a ride. This well-produced guide showcases its key design features, practical benefits, and compatibility considerations. Tailfin’s lead prototype technician, Molly, provides insight into the bag’s development and intended use.
Events Starting Soon
What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…
2025 Pinyons and Pines
Pinyons and Pines is a self-supported bikepacking event that starts and ends in Flagstaff, Arizona, at 6,910 feet. The route is a magnificent tour of Northern Arizona, utilizing a mixture of singletrack, doubletrack, and dirt roads. Over 70 riders started yesterday morning and are well on their way through the route. Follow their progress live here.
Bee Line 200
The Bee Line 200 is a 200-mile MTB/gravel route that orbits Greater Manchester in an anti-clockwise direction. The route was designed to link some classic off-road riding spots this area offers, and for 2025, the organizers are hosting a four-day supported event alongside a self-supported bikepacking adventure. The 2025 event started earlier this morning, and you can follow their progress live here.
Cross Washington Mountain Bike Route
The Cross-Washington Mountain Bike Route traverses East from the Pacific Ocean through rainforests and deserts by way of singletrack and gravel roads. It follows a 720-mile, mostly off-road route, from the Pacific Ocean to the Idaho border, and this year there are over 70 riders participating. The ride kicks off on Sunday and you can follow their progress live here.
Seven Serpents 2025
Seven Serpents is an unsupported 850-kilometer bikepacking challenge from Ljubljana to Trieste through the Croatian islands following gravel and side roads. The 2025 grand depart starts this Sunday at 7 a.m. local time, and there are well over 100 riders participating. Follow along live here.
Weekly Social
Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, an introduction to the Beanstalk Boys…
Beanstalk Boys
A group of friends dubbed the “Beanstalk Boys” are embarking on a cross-country voyage on tall-bikes they made themselves. “Sustainably sourced from the finest scrap,” their DIY journey will take them from NYC to Seattle, with “tour” style dates via their Instagram. Be sure to try and catch them as they roll through your city!
Further Reading
Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...
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