Friday Debrief: Shiny Allygn Racks, New Kona Unit X, Escaping Car Hell, IKEA Saddle Bags, Seal Shoes, 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…

Kona Unit X in Gloss Metallic Dark Faux Raw

Made in Taiwan / $1,899 at Kona

It’s always great to see the Kona Unit X carry on. It’s an ideal all-around bikepacking rig, gravel bike, and singletrack machine. Kona just announced that it’s now available in Gloss Metallic Dark Faux Raw.

Limited Edition Allygn Chrome Racks

$188 at Fern Bicycles

Fern Bicycles and Allygn released a limited run of chrome Diamond and Grill racks. It appears there are still some left in stock, so get ’em while you can.

New Merch from Tumbleweed

$20-30 at Tumbleweed

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Tumbleweed just released a new tee and bandanas with art by Kyler Martz. The shirts are printed on 100% cotton Comfort Colors blanks in sage, black, or navy, and the bandana is available in teal or brown.

Crankbrothers Trail Speed Lace Seal Shoes

Made in Cambodia / $209+ at Crankbrothers

The new Crankbrothers Trail Speed Lace Seal Shoes are designed for wet weather, off-season riding, with an integrated waterproof membrane and a unique 360° ankle wrap to keep the elements out. Available in flat and clip-in versions, the Trail Speed Lace Seal features reinforced TPU in high-wear areas, a mid-friction MC1 rubber compound on the sole, and a fast, practical speed lace system.

Hunt 5AM Gravel Limitless Wheels

Made in Taiwan / $2,399+ at Hunt Wheels

Teased at the 2026 MADE bike show on Danielle Schon’s deep-custom steel gravel bike, the new Hunt 5AM Gravel Limitless Wheels are for gravel racers who want aerodynamic performance and wide gravel tire compatibility. Both the front and rear rims are 27mm wide internally, and customers can choose steel or carbon spokes. The stainless steel version weighs just 1,447 grams/pair and starts at $2,399 USD.

Apidura Expedition Long Top Tube Pack

$134 at Apidura

The new Apidura Expedition Long Top Tube Pack offers two liters of waterproof storage. Made from durable, PFA- and PFC-free three-layer fabric, it features welded construction, external mesh pockets for quick access, an internal divider for organization, and a front cable port for charging devices. It’s designed with a tapered rear for knee clearance and weighs a claimed 258 grams.

Outer Shell x IKEA Saddle Bag

Made in San Francisco, CA / $55 at Tim Willis

Outer Shell has teamed up with designer Tim Willis for a fun take on their classic mini saddle bag. Made with the same quality you’d expect from the California brand, this mini bag features the iconic Swedish department store’s colors for a visually intriguing take on their zippered bag.

In Conversation

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

Your All-Time Favorite Bikepacking Bags?

In today’s feature, Neil unpacks his bins bursting with bags from his 13-year bikepacking history. Inspired by our new series, The Cut List, it’s an insightful walk down memory lane that examines what has changed for him and in the broader bikepacking world. As a complement, we’d love to hear about your favorite, oldest, or most meaningful bag still in use today. Share a photo and a little about it in the Conversation below!

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

Mikayla Smith Sets New Women’s Munda Biddi FKT

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Earlier this week, Mikayla Smith set a new women’s record on the 1,060-kilometer Munda Biddi Trail in Western Australia. She finished the route in just 3 days, 10 hours, and 19 seconds, almost six hours ahead of Sacha Dowell’s 2021 record. Mikayla had completed the route twice before, and her determination and experience certainly paid off. Well done, Mikayla! For a detailed recap of her ride, check out the Instagram post here.

The With Pace Podcast: Jacob Hora

Professional gravel racer Payson McElveen’s latest podcast episode interviews Jacob Hora, a young college student who has already completed some of the Mountain Races, the Tour Divide, and a variety of other grueling, long-distance bikepacking races. This episode explores his origins in the sport, his approach to racing, and how he’s done it all so young.

Pan Celtic Race Series 2026: Ultra for All

Ultra for All documents the first edition of the Pan Celtic Race Series Chapter 2, following a clan of self-supported endurance cyclists as they retrace this ancient sanctuary route. Setting out from the shadow of Conwy Castle, the route crosses Anglesey to Dublin, carving north past the coastal cliffs of Torr Head before plunging into the untamed wilderness and stunning mountain passes of the Wild Atlantic Way.

Let’s Map a National Park by Bicycle

The Make Thing with Hand YouTube channel has released a creatively shot, playful video about drawing a map of the Tetons by hand. Using a bike to explore Grand Teton National Park, it’s a fun, interesting video about the park’s history, the creative process, and exploring the terrain by bike.

Victor Bosoni’s Record-Shattering Tour Divide Race Effort

Alan of Dirty Teeth MTB sifted through Victor Bosoni’s record-setting Tour Divide data to provide a deep dive into everything that shaped his impressive ride. The young French ultracyclist completed the 2,700-mile route in just 11 days, 8 hours, and 27 minutes, shaving over a day off the previous record. Alan looks at Victor’s sleep and recovery, fueling strategies, race craft and tactics, bike and gear optimization, clothing choices, power data, average speed and calories burned, his best and worst days, and all the other nerdy metrics.

Revel’s El Jefe Grande 32er

Revel released their El Jefe Grande earlier this week, their first official foray into 32ers. Along with the bike launch, they also released a comprehensive overview on YouTube. The bike-wheeled bike shreds Moab and looks like another interesting 32er.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

The Rhino Run

After a two-year hiatus, The Rhino Run is back! For the 2026 edition, the organizers are flipping the route and have found an exciting new finish town. Starting in Windhoek, the route crosses dry deserts, winelands and lush forests before ending in Graaff-Reinet 3,050 kilometers later. Follow along live, starting Monday, here.

Taurus Mountain Race

The last addition to the Mountain Race series, the Taurus Mountain Race takes riders on an epic journey through Türkiye’s Taurus mountain range, from verdant forests to soaring rocky peaks and remote desert plateaus, setting the stage for an unforgettable race. The 1,460-kilometer route winds through some of the country’s most demanding terrain. The inaugural event kicks off on Wednesday, with over 260 riders participating. 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…

Nic Morales: Caminos del Sol, Spain

The leaves are really starting to turn here in Western North Carolina. While I love the sights and scenes this time of year brings, it also brings an influx of tourists who crowd trails and some of my favorite spots. With the final portions of the Blue Ridge Parkway set to reopen in the coming weeks, Asheville will once again be a fully functioning tourist destination. To escape that slightly unfortunate reality, I’d love to take a gander through Tristan’s Caminos del Sol and forget the cars and busyness that come with living in Asheville at this time of year.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, Jeff Lenosky of Reeb Cycles playing in Moab on his Hall Pass and a bikepacking-ready Hunter Cycles hardtail…

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...

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