This week’s Debrief features an eco-friendly rain jacket, more ATBs, purple hip packs, Longhorn and Oyster Bars, pup-packing, two bikepacking events to follow live, and more. Find it all here…

We started “The Debrief” on our YouTube channel last year as a way of highlighting the week’s news and things that caught our attention on the website, in the conversation, and elsewhere around the community. To take this a step further, we’re posting a weekly Debrief here on the site to highlight all of those things and more, including upcoming events and interesting things 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…

Showers Pass EcoLyte Elite

Showers Pass EcoLyte Elite

Last month, Portland-based Showers Pass introduced their most eco-friendly waterproof jacket to date, the EcoLyte Elite. Constructed using 100% recycled polyester face and lining fabrics and 100% recycled vent and pocket zippers, it’s made with low-temperature production and solvent-free lamination to reduce the overall environmental impact of its manufacturing process. The EcoLyte Elite features plenty of vents, a removable hood, reflective accents, and is available in two colors and a range of sizes in men’s and women’s-specific designs.

$239 / Details

Forager Cycles Oyster Bar

Forager Oyster Bar

Washington-based Forager Cycles just restocked their supply of Oyster Bars, a steel riser bar for modern trail bikes. Each bar is bent and brazed in Washington, has a clear powder coat finish, and comes stock at 860mm wide, but can be cut down. Once they’re sold out, Forager will begin taking preorders for the next batch.

$195 USD / Made in USA / Details

Moruta Hogar 2P Tent on Kickstarter

Now on Kickstarter, the Moruta Hogar 2P is an ultralight tent that’s designed to use your bike (or trekking poles) for support, and it packs into a bag that’s made to fit onto your handlebars. It has a double-walled construction, two doors, fits two people, and weighs in at a hefty 3.5 pounds.

€299 / Details

SimWorks Doppo ATB Restock + 30% Off Parts

SimWorks Doppo ATB

Our friends at SimWorks just let us know that their Doppo ATB framesets were just restocked in a few sizes, and they’re taking deposits on smalls and mediums, which should be arriving in the next few months. They are also offering 30% off SimWorks branded parts to any Doppo customers piecing together a custom build. Just reach out directly, and they’ll get you sorted.

$1,999 USD / Made in Japan / Details

Hudksi Longhorn Handlebar + New Merch

Hudski Doggler Review

The folks at Hudski Bikes just added their Longhorn Handlebar to their webstore as an aftermarket purchase. The Longhorn is a 790mm wide alloy bar with a generous 50mm rise and three backsweep options to choose from: 10°, 16°, and 27°. It’s the same handlebar that came specced on the Hudski Doggler I tested (and fell in love with) last year, made from 6061 T6 aluminum and using a standard 31.8mm clamp. They also added some new merch to the store, including shirts, bottles, hoodies, and hats.

$60 USD / Made in Taiwan / Details

Orucase Design Labs Mini Frame Pack

Orucase Frame Pack

The new Design Labs Mini Frame Pack from Orucase is a small wedge-shaped frame bag for tight main triangles or when you just need a little extra space. It’s made from a Dyneema, uses a unique one-handed magnetic closure on the non-drive side pocket, and attaches to your frame with removable/adjustable straps.

$140 USD / Made in USA / Details

Limited Edition High Above Purple Lookout

High Above purple

The masters of hip packs over at High Above found enough of their discontinued purple X-Pac to make a limited run of Lookout packs. Each pack has three interior pockets, a small zippered exterior pocket, plus the main zippered compartment. The Lookout uses Aquaguard zippers and extra long zipper pulls and comes with one bottle rocket.

$125 / Made in USA / Details

Wolf Tooth Post to Flat Mount Brake Adapter

Wolf Tooth Brake Adapter

Wolf Tooth Components’ new adapter allows you to add flat mount brakes to post mount frames and forks, which they say is an asset for cyclists who want to run road groupsets on mountain bike frames. The Post to Flat Mount Brake Adapter fits on 140mm, 160mm, and 180mm post mount native sizes.

$29.95 USD / Made in USA / Details

In Conversation

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

Piano to Zanskar

In the comments below Abhirup Bose’s fantastic “Bikepacking Zanskar” piece (linked below) earlier this week, a reader recommended checking out the documentary Piano to Zanskar. Based on the trailer, it looks brilliant and unique, and we’re excited to carve out some time to watch it over the weekend.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

2022 Esker Ride Scholarship

Esker Japhy Review

Esker Cycles’ ride scholarship, which is intended to enable more people to get outside on mountain bikes, is back for 2022. Application is open through August 31st, and recipients will take home a Hayduke or Japhy in the size and color of their choice.

Details

Trash Free Trails: Summer of Purposeful Adventures

Summer of Purposeful Adventures

Announced this week, Trash Free Trails’ Summer of Purposeful Adventure is a global callout for riders, runners, and roamers of all kinds to leave a positive trace on the people and places they visit this month. The organizers have put together a detailed guide, a free starter pack, and information on how local businesses can get involved as well. Learn more at TrashFreeTrails.org.

The Carbon Footprint of Bikepacking Events

2021 Badlands Film

The organizers behind Badlands, a bikepacking event in Europe, just released a report that takes a deep dive into the carbon footprint of events like theirs. They wanted to see what the environmental impact of their event was, and focused on sources like travel, accommodations, and electricity consumption. You can learn more about the study here. And head over to Badlands.cc to learn about their environmental and social project, Badlands Rewild.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

2022 French Divide

French Divide 2020

A kind of Tour Divide made in France, the French Divide links the Franco-Belgian border to the Franco-Spanish border. A challenging all-road route between gravel and mountain biking using the GR footpaths of Santiago de Compostela. The grand depart takes off from Bray-Dunes early tomorrow morning. Follow along live here.

2022 West Carpathian Challenge

West Carpathian Challenge

The West Carpathian Challenge is a 590-kilometer self-supported bikepacking adventure through the Carpathian Mountains in Slovakia. The second edition took off from Liptov this morning, and you can follow along live here.

Wish We Were Here

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

Evan Christenson: The Annapurna Circuit

Annapurna Circuit Trek Route, Nepal

India, Nepal, and the great Himalayas have been really digging a hole deep into my brain the past few years. I’ve been told the Annapurna Circuit is not all that great for bikepacking. It’s too developed now, not all that remote, more of a hiking trail. Blah blah blah. But there’s just something about those mountains, the legends that have cut their teeth their, the flapping prayers flags, the colors, the tea houses. Something, or maybe just everything, makes it a place I dream of when lying in bed those sleepless nights. Someday.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, Josh Kato and his dogs riding bikes…

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