Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
This week’s Debrief asks how many bikes you own and features the lightest battery bank, a singlespeed Chromag mod, new apparel from Search and State, Wilde, and LaMarche, 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…
Mountain Laurel Designs Soul ProVent Bivy
Made in USA / $345+ at Mountain Laurel Designs
The 215-gram Mountain Laurel Designs Soul Proven Bivy is now being made with a new waterproof-breathable fabric they call ProVent UL. According to MLD, ProVent UL is a 2.5-layer WPB fabric with DWR 0 that saves a lot of weight and has great performance—equal or better than their previous WPB fabric—and it packs much smaller than a 3L fabric. The bivy has a full-width zippered bug net window, foldable and removable hood hoop, hang loops, and two dual-sided zipper pulls for vent positioning.
Stinner Titanium Bottle Cages
Made in Santa Barbara, CA / $50 at Stinner Frameworks
In conjunction with the release of their new photo stick, Stinner Frameworks is also launching some new titanium bottle cages. At just 31 grams, these cages also offer 15mm of vertical adjustment through their slotted design. Shipping later this month, these cages are made in the USA out of high-quality 3Al-2.5V titanium.
Old Man Mountain Blem Sale
Made in Taiwan / $42+ at Old Man Mountain
Looking for a great deal on some new gear? Old Man Mountain just listed a handful of discounted OMM products with cosmetic blemishes and small imperfections that are so minor you probably won’t even notice them. There are limited quantities available, and the sale runs from November 6th to 10th (or until items sell out).
YELL Outdoor Studio Top Tube Rulers
¥3,300 (~$20 USD) at YELL
The perfect upgrade for anyone who loves fishing by bike, the YELL Outdoor Studio Top Tube Ruler is, you guessed it, a ruler for measuring your next catch, designed to stick to your bike’s top tube.
Flextail Zero Power
$57 at Flextail
Flextail claims the new Zero Power is the “world’s lightest and thinnest 10,000mAh power bank.” It weighs just 145 grams (5.1oz), is 9.9mm thick, and is packed with useful specs, including dual USB-C ports, 22.5W output, IPX4 water resistance, and a forged carbon fiber construction.
New Search and State Flannels
Made in New York / $175 at Search and State
Two fresh shirts just landed in Search and State’s long-sleeve flannel lineup. The Printed Flannel in Clay and a Midweight Brushed Flannel in Black are now available, both made from durable 100% cotton and built to work on or off the bike. Each is designed and produced in New York City.
Mugshot NYC “Durace” Valve Caps
Made in USA / $17 at Mugshot NYC
Mugshot NYC just released some fantastic new Dura-Ace meets Duracell valve caps, forever known as “Durace.” The caps use Mugshot’s new patent-pending Dual Valve universal thread option, which allows them to work on both Presta and Schrader valves. They have a 3D-printed body, metal threads, and are handmade in New York.
Wilde Off-Trail Aposematic Jersey
$79 at Wilde Bikes
Wilde is continuing their run of merch designed by Brett Stenson through this MTB-style jersey. Made by Donkey Label, this ultra comfortable trail jersey blends two distinct fabrics—the front and back provide optimal durability and comfort, while the mesh side panels and underarm sections offer enhanced breathability, keeping riders cool.
La Marche Denim Hats
Made in Los Angeles, CA / $65 at La Marche
No stranger to fashion-forward product releases, the new La Marche denim hats are a fun way to support the small, Portland-based builder. Featuring a cartoonish dog in the La Marche style, these fun hats were designed in conjunction with Bill Rebholz.
In Conversation
Exchanges and ideas that caught our attention in the site’s conversation section…
How many bikes do you own?
We’ve loved reading the nearly 200 insightful comments on Lucas’s recent feature, The Problem with N+1, which centers on conscious consumerism and explores how many bikes one really needs. A common thread is that many of us have too many and are working to get rid of a handful. Commenter Ben in Australia suggested a survey of how many bikes our readers own, so we’re doing exactly that. Use the drop-down below to let us know how many bikes you own—both fully operational and works in progress—and we’ll share the results in next week’s Debrief!
Around the Community
News from around the bikepacking world…
Sklar's Japan Tour
Sklar Bikes continues their vlog series in Japan with a long video about a pavement-centric bike tour they took with some of the folks at Circles JP. Featuring a variety of amazing locales, interesting food, and cool bikes, this fun, relaxed video of a bike tour abroad provides an inside look at both Japan and the small team at Sklar.Bikepacking the Glenwood Horse Trail in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Esker Cycles Launches 2026 Ambassador Program
Esker Cycles opened up applications for its 2026 Ambassador Program, inviting riders from across the country to join a community of passionate cyclists who explore, connect, and share stories from the trail. The selected ambassadors will receive a credit toward an Esker complete bike or frame for the year and opportunities to be featured by Esker.
Here's more from Esker: "Our ambassadors are the heart of Esker’s storytelling. We’re looking for riders who are creative, community-driven, and excited to inspire others through the experiences they create on two wheels. Selected ambassadors will represent a diverse range of riding styles, from trail and bikepacking to commuting to family adventurers. Throughout the year, ambassadors will contribute photos, videos, and stories, lead or participate in community rides, and help shape the Esker community’s connection to the outdoors." Applications are open now through November 30th. Riders interested in applying can visit EskerCycles.com to learn more and submit their application.
WZRD Bikes: SINGLESPEED CHROMAG
WZRD Bikes' latest video walks viewers through a Paragon order and a powder-coating shipment, and we get to watch as Em cuts perfectly good thru-axle dropouts off a Chromag to install some Paul singlespeed dropouts.Events Starting Soon
What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…
Escape L.A.
Escape L.A. is a 300-mile bikepacking event highlighting the beauty, accessibility, and contrast of the public lands surrounding Los Angeles. This year’s grand depart has just under 20 riders participating, and they started yesterday morning from the Santa Monica Pier. Follow along live here.
Tassie Gift
The Tassie Gift is a relentless 1,800-kilometer bikepacking event along roads, trails, and goat tracks on the island of Tasmania. It is a tough, gritty, at times ugly jigsaw puzzle pieced together through a labour of love that started from scratch, targeting the very best secrets this little island has locked away. The 2025 grand depart started yesterday afternoon with nearly 30 riders participating. Follow along live here.
Dangerbird 250
The DangerBird 250 is a bikepacking event to support cycling within the Organ Mountains Desert National Monument and follows the Monumental Loop route. This year’s ride starts this morning from Las Cruces, New Mexico, and although there isn’t live tracking, you can follow along via Instagram here.
Cohutta Cat
The Cohutta Cat is a 270-mile figure-eight loop in the mountains of North Georgia and Eastern Tennessee. It starts and ends at the Mulberry Gap Adventure Basecamp near Ellijay. There are just under 20 geared riders and nine singlespeeders at this year’s event, which kicks off this morning at 9 a.m. local time. Follow their progress live here.
Ouachita Triple Crown
The Ouachita Triple Crown is a 180-mile heartland gem in the Ouachita Mountains of central Arkansas. The Ouachita Triple Crown route was first mapped by Kenny Williams in 2019. He wanted to link together three International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) Epic Trails into one epic bikepacking route. There is a small group taking off this morning, and you can follow them live here.
Weekly Social
Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, Eigo Shimojo’s latest series of portraits from the Japanese Bike Odyssey. You can find more on his Instagram feed here.
Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.
