Friday Debrief: Slug Gasser Pre-Orders, Pedal People, Buy Ross’s Surly, Under Biking Down Under, 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…

Slug Gasser Available for Pre-Order

Made in Taiwan / $2,700 (frame) at Slug Bicycles

Released earlier this year, the Slug Gasser is a titanium hardtail featuring external cable routing, accessible geometry, premium 3Al-2.5V titanium, a distinctive 3D-printed yolk, and UDH compatibility. It also has three water bottle mounts, a 31.6mm seatpost, rear rack mounts, clearance for 29 x 2.6″ tires, and an internal dropper port on the lower seat tube. The next batch of pre-orders just opened with an expected delivery in early 2026.

RUX Duffel Box

$183 CAD+ at Kickstarter

RUX is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to help fund their innovative new wide-mouth Duffel Box, which features a zipper-free design, structured sides, and a squared-off shape. In their words, “It packs like a box, carries like a bag, and shape-shifts for any mission.” With 11 days to go, the RUX Duffel Box has currently raised $144,297 of its $10,708 goal.

The SimWorks Crisper Cables

Made in Japan / $18+ at SimWorks

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The SimWorks Crisper cables are a new collaboration with Nissen that are said to offer crisper, more delicate feeling shifting and braking modulation through higher quality stainless outer cabling. Offered in road and mountain bike options, as well as individual housing sets and complete kits, the Crisper cable kits are available now through SimWorks and their distributors.

The San Util Design Fellow Mug

Made in China / $45 at San Util Design

San Util Design has released a set of Fellow mugs with some custom branding made to keep your coffee hot while out on the trail. These 12-ounce Fellow mugs feature a custom San Util Design logo on the front and are great for on-the-go coffee use, as well as coffee outside brew cups and pretty much anything else. Using an insulated design, it keeps its contents the exact same temperature, even hours after being sealed away.

The Ombraz Slate Dolomite is Back

Made in Italy / $175 at Ombraz

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Ombraz has re-released one of its most popular colorways, Slate, for one of its most popular models, the Dolomite. Available as a limited release, these armless sunglasses are made in Italy and likely won’t last long. Built from aerospace-grade TR-90 nylon and fitted with polarized Zeiss light brown optics, the lenses enhance contrast and depth perception in changing light, making them suitable for everything from alpine climbs to coastal road trips.

PEdALED Fall/Winter Element Lineup

$25+ at PEdALED

PEdALED’s latest launch builds on the brand’s minimalist Element Collection with new colors, updated styles, and refined fits and fabrics. Returning for the colder riding seasons, the FW25 Element Collection adopts a layered approach to warmth, leveraging natural and technical fabrics such as merino wool, Polartec Alpha, and Dermizax Microporous technology by Toray. The collection includes jackets, jerseys, vests, bibs, and more.

This Week’s Co-op Find: Ross’ Surly ECR

$1,500 at Basecamp Co-op

Since we announced the our Fall Garage Sale a week ago, there have been a bunch of great listings hitting the Co-op. Though the associated contest is over, we figured it was still worth it to spotlight a cool find here in the Debrief. This week, Ross’ Surly ECR complete is a great deal at $1,500. Spec’d with Moloko bars, SRAM NX, and some Surly racks, this likely won’t last long.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

Pedal People: 23 Years of Bike-Powered Waste Collection

The video above profiles Will Malcom, a professional cyclist at Pedal People, a bike-powered garbage collection business combining human power, zero-emissions transportation, and a worker-owned cooperative model. Watch as Will tows an eight-food trailer stacked with some 300 pounds of trash.

Hammerhead Stops Karoo 2 Updates

Earlier this week, Hammerhead announced they are discontinuing regular firmware updates on the Karoo 2 after the first software update of 2026. While you can continue riding with your Karoo 2, Hammerhead is offering their customers the opportunity to upgrade and get 30 percent off a new Karoo. Learn more here.

Under Biking Down Under

In the latest Under Biking Down Under episode, Lewis Ferris pushes his beloved Sutra LTD to the limit on the infamous TTS (Tyson’s Too Scared) trail on Mt Victoria/Matairangi. From Kona: “TTS is a steep, loose, and rooty black trail that’s a serious challenge even on an enduro bike. Riding it with speed and style on a drop-bar bike? That’s just a little crazy.”

2025 Ombraz Video Review Competition Winner

Out of of nearly 150 entries, this video won Jay the 2025 Ombraz Video Review Competition. He took home $1,250 and a lifetime supply of Ombraz.

Revel Project RaTical Concept Bike

Revel Bikes’ latest experiment is a full-suspension titanium prototype dubbed “Project RaTical.” This 130mm travel frame combines 3D printed titanium junctions with hand-welded titanium tubes, showcasing a new era in additive-hybrid frame construction. The prototype also debuts an experimental CBF suspension layout with a vertical shock.

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Paul Components Recycles

Paul Components gave us a fun little insight into the recycling process at their facility in Chico, California. Led by their very own California Travis, we learn that they have just a few small trash and recycling containers at the Paul facility because so much of their excess materials, including machine oils and coolant, gets recycled either back into processes for re-use, or through external recycling systems that might make their way back to Paul one day or for re-use through fresh materials.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

Central Texas Showdown

The Central Texas Showdown is the brainchild of Patrick at the Bikes or Death podcast. It follows a similar format to the popular East Texas Showdown event, with three route options to choose from: the 472-mile Central Texas Showdown route, 296-mile SLOWdown route, or the 167-mile LOWdown. The 2025 grand depart takes off this morning from Castell, Texas, with over 100 riders split between the different routes. Follow them live here.

Snail Fest

Snail Fest is a community bikepacking film festival celebrating trans, non-binary, gender-expansive, and women riders. This event brings together stories from the trail through a lineup of short films that highlight adventure, creativity, and the joy of exploring the world by bike. The event is hosted by Free Cycles in Missoula, Montana, and starts at 7 p.m. tonight. There is no admission fee, and it’s open to everyone. Learn more here.

Mountaineer Monster

The inaugural edition of the Mountaineer Monster race is set to take off this weekend in West Virginia. With three route options ranging between 110 and 465 miles, the race spans the spectrum of large, single-day efforts to full-on bikepack racing. With a dearth of events and cycling coverage in West Virginia, it’ll be interesting to see how the first edition of the Mountaineer Monster goes and whether it can shine a light on what is an under-appreciated part of the country.

Cross Florida Kings Road

The Kings Road is a 200-mile self-supported gravel ride starting in the Jena Wildlife Management Area and ending at the pier in Flagler Beach, Florida. There are nearly 50 riders signed up for tomorrow’s grand depart, and anyone in the area can roll down to the Jena Boat Ramp in Jena, Florida, at 6:51 a.m. to see them off. Follow the race live here.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, Mountain Gravel’s featured rider series for their upcoming bikepacking races through rural West Virginia. Plus, Outer Shell displays some of its frame bag versatility…

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