Friday Debrief: New Surly Preamble, Poco Pannier Colors, Photochromic Ombraz, 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…

Tailfin Panniers Now Offered in 22L

$165 at Tailfin

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Tailfin has expanded its pannier range to include a massive 22L size. Using the same design as their other pannier bags, this 22L system offers the ability to take larger items on the trail or back home with riders. Fully waterproof, the new panniers are compatible with their rack systems and are available in black.

BTCHN’ Bikes Ti Bullboose Bar Restock

Made in USA / $540 at BTCHN’ Bikes

BTCHN’ Bikes Titanium Bullmoose Bar is 100% made in California. All of the tubes are bent, mitered, welded, machined, and reamed in-house. BTCHN’ just added a small selection of bars to their webstore, since the previous batch sold out quickly. They are offered in four widths and two finishes and will likely sell out fast.

Knog Blinder 700, 1000, and 1400

$65+ at Knog

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The newly released Knog Blinder series is said to deliver the “perfect balance of tough, reliable construction and a clean, modern design for every type of rider.” Each light features a robust CNC-machined aluminum chassis with a 100% waterproof IP67 rating, six light modes, and a 120-hour Eco Flash runtime. There are four lumen options: 400, 700, 1000, and 1400.

2026 Mountain Laurel Designs Poco Pannier Colors

Made in USA / $235 at Mountain Laurel Designs

The Mountain Laurel Designs Poco Panniers feature a super minimal design, roll-top closure, and a clever mix of velcro and webbing straps for the attachment system. They are some of the lightest mini panniers available, with Miles’ review set weighing just 370 grams. Mountain Laurel Designs just added 11 vibrant colors to its fabric lineup (now 11 in total), available for the Poco Panniers and some of its other “ultra” products.

Restrap x Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust Collab

Made in UK / £5+ at Restrap

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Restrap and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) recently teamed up on a couple of custom products, with a portion of the proceeds from each supporting the people, landscapes, and wildlife of the Yorkshire Dales. You can buy a patch or a musette to empower YDMT’s work, which includes everything from tree planting and woodland management to rural apprenticeships and education programs.

Ombraz Photochromic Lenses

Made in Italy / $160+ at Ombraz

After gauging demand for photochromic lenses last year, the folks at Ombraz figured it was time to make it happen. The lens starts out semi-tinted in the shade (Category 2, filters 65% of light), shifting to a deep dark gray in intense sun (Category 4, filters 92% of light). There are only 900 available to start.

Surly Preamble in Hi-Viz Black and Milky Lemonade

Made in Taiwan / $1,099+ at Surly Bikes

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The Surly Preamble, a light-duty steel commuter and touring bike, was just updated with fresh colors and builds for 2026. Now available in Milky Lemonade or Hi-Viz Black, the latest Preamble flat-bar builds feature a 1×9 Shimano Cues drivetrain and 35mm wide Teravail Washburn tires. With complete builds starting at $1,099, the Preamble offers a ton of value.

Silver Smoke Sweet Protection

Made in $250+ at Sweet Protection

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Sweet Protection recently released a small batch of their top-selling Falconer Aero 2Vi Mips and Falconer 2Vi Mips helmets in Silver Smoke. There’s only a single run of the new colorway available for each model, with no restock planned.

Klymit Static V Sleeping Pad Lineup Update

Made in China / $49+ at Klymit

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The Klymit Static V sleeping pad lineup is now available in three performance tiers. The Base pads are designed to be lightweight and efficient (1.5 R-Value), the Summit pads are slightly warmer and more versatile (2.4 R-Value), and the Summit pads are four-season ready (4.2 R-Value). You can read all about Klymit’s new Static V series on their blog.

In Conversation

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

Do We Need So Many Speeds?

Neil posted his review of the microSHIFT MX groupset earlier this week, and many commenters on the site and YouTube voiced their pleasure at seeing yet another affordable drivetrain. With many hailing microSHIFT for delivering a wide-range groupset without proprietary technology, we wonder whether modern 1x groupsets have tried to cram too much in as they race toward 13+ speeds. Is there an ideal number of speeds for a 1x system? And have we already seen it? Be sure to vote in the poll below, and we’ll release the results next week…

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

Custom Painted Maple Leaf Stanton

In Stanton Bikes’ latest video, Lara is in the paint shop working on a Canadian-inspired Sedona finished in a custom Maple Leaf livery. “It’s one of her best pieces to date, combining powder coat, wet paint, and bespoke stencil work to create a truly one-off frame.”

The QUEEN of COLDRIDE: Alex Burk Races a Winter Ultra

Yeti Adventure Films’ latest feature documents Alex Burk’s experience racing the second annual COLDRIDE CRANBROOK, using her training, competitive edge, and positive attitude to challenge the 130-kilometer course through unseasonably dry and icy conditions.

Rogue Panda Destroys a Blue Ridge Accessory Bar

When Rogue Panda Designs received reports of the Blue Ridge Accessory Bar failing in the field, they acted quickly to design a replacement. To prove its strength, they built a test rig and put it through the wringer. If you bought the original V1 Accessory Bar and have not yet received replacement parts, reach out to Rogue Panda.

A Love Letter to Bikepacking

Documentary and adventure filmmaker Avery Caudill’s latest video is a poetic two-minute love letter to bikepacking. Three years since tackling his first bike tour, Avery reflects on the power of travelling by bike and the places it has brought him.

Oveja Negra is Hiring!

The bagmakers at Oveja Negra in Salida, Colorado, just announced they are looking for a full-time sewing technician to join the team. Here’s how they introduce the opportunity on the job listing: “Do you want to spend your time in a creative, enjoyable, and supportive work environment? We work hard, have a ton of fun, and lean on each other in each department to make this cut and sew, USA production facility run like a top. You want in?”

Kaçkar Traverse

Yeti’s latest video follows Joey Schusler, Jimmy Smith, and Josh Conroy on an eight-day, 260-mile bikepacking journey across Türkiye’s rugged Kaçkar Mountains. Watch the one-minute short above, then head over to YetiCycles.com to find photos and the full story.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

Tuatara 1000

The Tuatara 1000 is a 1,000-kilometer journey through some of the best terrain in the deep south of New Zealand. This year, there are almost 50 riders participating, split between the full route, a “little ITI” route, and different directions. You can follow their progress live here.

Tour Aotearoa

Tour Aotearoa is New Zealand’s longest bikepacking event. Stretching 3,000 kilometers from Cape Reinga to Bluff, it follows a combination of cycle trails, tracks, paths, and lanes connected by the most enjoyable country roads available. Over 300 riders are participating this year, and you can follow their progress live here.

Queen’s Ransom

The 2026 Queen’s Ransom took off from just outside of Phoenix, Arizona, yesterday with over a dozen riders out attempting the 231-mile route around the greater East Valley of metro Phoenix. It’s a challenging route, but the annual group ride allows for group camping and designated meet-ups each night, so it’s a great way to experience the course. Follow them live here, and check out the route guide here.

Iditarod Trail Invitational

The Iditarod Trail Invitational is the world’s longest winter ultra-marathon by fat bike, foot, and ski, and it follows the historic Iditarod Trail from Knik to Nome. Those pedalling the route started last Sunday, and only six riders have finished the 350-mile route so far. The conditions have been challenging, and you can follow along live as the first riders continue to make their way to Nome following the larger 1,000-mile route. Keep an eye on their progress here.

Wish We Were Here

Shedding a little light on a route one of us is dreaming about riding at the moment…

Nic Morales: Sardinia, Italy

The early portion of the year is pretty hard to beat in Appalachia, but in this weird and wacky winter we’re having, I could use a break from these splotchy hills. With little time spent in the Mediterranean in the last decade, it seems like a return to my ancestral roots would do just fine. Looking at the incredible photos from our TranSardinia route, I can’t think of a place I’d rather be.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, the 2026 ITI roster and a Florida bikepacking trip years in the making…

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