Friday Debrief: Red Hot Cheddar Preamble, 3D-Printed Mud Flaps, Tire Covers, 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…

Surly Preamble in Red Hot Cheddar

Made in Taiwan / $1,599 at Surly Bikes

The newest Surly Preamble is built up around a flashy Shimano CUES 1×10-speed drivetrain and a tangy Red Hot Cheddar paint job. The Preamble is a light-duty steel commuter and touring bike based around either 650b (XS/S) or 700c (M-XL) wheels and and fast-rolling 35mm rubber.

Hilleberg 2026/2027 Tent Handbook

FREE at Hilleberg

Inside Hilleberg’s 2026/2026 Tent Handbook, you will find detailed information about each of their tents, a tear sheet with samples of the fabrics they use, and stories from real adventurers around the world. You can order a physical copy or download a digital version to flip through its 84 pages.

Portland Design Works Lisbon Cork Grips

Made in Portugal / $39 at Ride PDW

Made in Lisbon, Portugal, from high-quality natural cork, the new Portland Design Works Lisbon Cork Grips offer just the right balance of cushion and control, soaking up road buzz while still feeling solid, not squishy. They fit standard 22mm diameter bars, weigh 58 grams per pair, and are 127mm long.

Granite Design Crust

Made in China / $40 at Granite Design

If you’ve ever rolled a mud-covered bicycle in through your front door and made a total mess of the place, then the new Granite Design Crust tire covers might be the ultra-niche solution for you. These simple tire covers are made from a durable, washable material, fit 24″ to 29″ wheels, and are wide enough to cover 3″ tires. They are installed without removing your wheel and secured with Velcro straps.

Gravel Rides Loch Lomond & The Trossachs

£15.95 at Adventure Books

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Gravel Rides Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, the latest guidebook from adventure writer and filmmaker Markus Stitz, showcases 15 of the finest gravel cycling routes through the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park and Argyll in Scotland.

The Ron’s Bikes Fabios Chest is Back in Stock

Made in the USA / $330 at Ron’s Bikes

Having secured a consistent and sustainable production partner last year, the folks at Ron’s Bikes have slowly but surely been restocking some of the most beloved bags. The most recent addition to their growing stockpile of bags is the large Fabios Chest. Made of X11 fabric, the latest release is available in tan or black.

Fox Transfer Neo: Now in 225mm Length

Made in Taiwan / $859 at Fox

Yesterday, Fox announced the addition of a new 225mm length to its Transfer Neo lineup, expanding the collection to fit even more bikes. The Transfer Neo is now available in 100mm, 125mm, 150mm, 175mm, 200mm, and 225mm drop options in 30.9mm and 31.6mm, with 125mm, 150mm, 175mm, 200mm, and 225mm options in 34.9mm. According to Fox, the Transfer Neo is the fastest-actuating wireless dropper on the market—just 26 milliseconds from lever press to post movement, to be exact.

BBB CoreCap

Made in Taiwan / €17+ at BBB Cycling

Released this week, the new BBB CoreCap is a nifty new valve that BBB says “delivers a better user experience than traditional bike valves.” The valves are compatible with both tubeless and tubed setups, and replace the standard Presta valve core with a larger version designed to work with Schrader pump heads. According to BBB, the CoreCape offers 300% more airflow than traditional valves and is more durable than Presta cores. They are available as complete valve kits or as upgrade kits for your existing valves. The CoreCap comes in six colors and is available now.

Ultradynamico Cava Now Available in 26 x 2.1″

Made in Japan / $95 at Ultradynamico

Ultradynamico have expanded their 26″ tire offering through their new red Cava. Available in the race casing, this tire is solely offered in a 2.1″ width and features an amber sidewall.

In Conversation

Exchanges and ideas that caught our attention in the site’s conversation section…

Calvin’s Retirement and Other Resources

Park Tool’s Calvin Jones is truly a folk hero in the bicycle world, having taught untold aspiring home mechanics the basics of working on bikes. His nearly three decades of work with the Minnesota brand have had an immeasurable ripple effect, so it’s no surprise that there was an outpouring of support and messages of thanks when he announced his retirement earlier this week.

Though his hundreds of YouTube videos will remain, with Calvin moving on to enjoy a well-deserved chapter beyond work, we’d love to hear about other web resources and YouTube channels you’ve found useful in learning about bicycle repair. Let us know your favorites in the Conversation below, which we’ll compile into a resource for readers.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

The Bikepacking Journal 15 in Print

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We know many of our Bikepacking Collective members are eagerly awaiting a chance to thumb through their copy of The Bikepacking Journal 15, and we wanted to share a little preview of the new issue in all its printed glory, as seen at our world-class facility in Germany earlier this month. We’re incredibly excited about the collection of stories, locations, and contributors in this one, and we look forward to shipping it to mailboxes all around the planet soon!

Joey Schusler’s Cinematography Reel

Colorad-based web and print contributor Joey Schusler’s updated cinematography reel is a feast for the eyes, featuring a wide range of work he shot on all manner of adventures around the globe in recent times. Watch it above, and see more of his work on Instagram.

QueerCyclist is Back!

After a two-year hiatus, Hannah Griggs, also known as QueerCyclist on YouTube, has returned. Citing burnout and over-extension making content back in 2023, Hannah has announced a return to publishing in 2026. Previously, Hannah created an award-winning film about her experince bikepacking, in addition to a variety of reviews and short-form videos from her perspective as a queer cyclist.

Kroka Eastern Hellbender Semester

Kroka Expeditions has opened applications for a new semester program, and it sounds like a unique opportunity. “The Eastern Hellbender Semester is a 1,200-mile journey by bicycle and public transportation connecting nexuses [hubs] of regenerative thought and practice throughout Appalachia. For humans ages 18 – 22, this semester integrates expedition travel, academic inquiry, and authentic community living as we strive for a thriving future for ourselves and our planet.” Learn more here.

Lab Work: Prototype Testing on Rooney Trail

Rodeo Labs takes its bikes, including all prototypes, out to Colorado’s Front Range for testing. They particularly enjoy the Rooney Valley on Green Mountain, and on their latest ride, they pedaled a development mule to test ideas about both bike geometry and construction.

The Woods Cyclery x Brother Cycles Pinecone Build

Released last year, the Pinecone from Brother Cycles in the UK is a retro-inspired frame built around 27.5″ wheels and compatible with disc or rim brakes. It’s a bike that begs for unique builds and parts, and Brother Cycles’ latest video shows off a fresh build centered around 27.5″ wheels, disc brakes, and swept-back bars.

Rhino Run Returns!

The Rhino Run is back for 2026! Rhino Run is an ultra-endurance, unsupported gravel bikepacking race across Namibia and South Africa; no entry fees, just you and the mirror. However you want to ride it, this is your chance to see some of the most incredible countries in the world on your bike. It starts on Oct 12th, 2026, at 6:22 a.m., and pre-registration is open at Rhino-Run.com.

Verum Wheels on 32-inch

Charles Wells, owner of Verum Wheels in California, just completed his first set of 32-inch wheels and put together a blog post explaining the challenges of making high-quality complete wheels. Verum has two rim widths, 30mm or 32mm, and in 32 or 36 spoke configurations. Charles had to commission a custom run of spokes to build his first wheelset because his favorite spokes aren’t available in lengths anywhere near long enough to accommodate these “behemoths”, as he puts it. Read more about the process and what you can expect from Verum here.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

JayP’s Backyard Fat Pursuit 2026

JayP’s Backyard Fat Pursuit is a 60 or 200-kilometer bike race on a network of groomed snowmobile trails. Groomed is relative. This year’s event started this morning, and you can follow along live here. There are nearly 50 riders participating, and the evening forecase is looking nippy!

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, we stumbled on a design Chris M. shared on the Surly Bicycles Facebook Group. Chris whipped up a custom rear mudflap on his Surly Ogre after finding universal options didn’t fit cleanly. His design bolts to the Ogre’s three rear frame mounts for a tidy install. It’s essentially finished in PLA, with ABS and PETG versions up next for comparison. We always love seeing interesting custom work like this!

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