Friday Debrief: Nose Drip Curry Krampus, Plastic Bag Cargo Mounts, High Boi Bars, and more…

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…

Wilde Bikes High Boi Bars

The new Wilde Bikes High Boi Bars are a collaboration with Lunch Break Brazing, located just down the street from Wilde in Minneapolis. Each bar is handmade, powder coated in clear or black, and features a brass logo and serial number plate. They have a 3″ rise, 15° sweep (up and back), 860mm width, and use a 22mm clamp.

$190 / Made in USA / Details

Surly Krampus now in Nose Drip Curry

The venerable Surly Krampus was the first “plus” bike on the market and showed people a new way to experience the trail with high-volume, large-diameter tires. The feature-rich frameset is now available in Nose Drip Curry for $999.

$999 / Made in Taiwan / Details

Ron’s Bikes Connecticut Tool Wallet

Ron’s Bikes just introduced the Connecticut Tool Wallet, complete with a ratchet set made in Durham, CT, by the women-owned Chapman Manufacturing. The kit also includes a stitched natural leather roll with a stash pocket that fits the included #1 and #2 Phillips bits, S25 Star bit (for disk brakes), and 2.0mm, 2.5mm, 3.0mm, 4.0mm, 5.0mm, 6.0mm, and 8.0mm Allen bits.

$75 / Made in Connecticut, USA / Details

Bags Yo Bags Whatever Carrier

The new Bags Yo Bags Whatever Carrier is a lightweight and minimal cargo mount that bolts into any standard bottle mounts and provides a platform for lashing on excess gear. Designed to work best with Voile straps, each Whatever Carrier is handmade in Quebec, Canada, by Zachary Boivin, from melted plastic bags and baked/pressed into shape in a CNC mold he made. The mounts weigh just 15g, cost $20 CAD each, and can be made in pretty much any colour combination you can think of.

$20 CAD / Made in Canada / Details

Rene Herse One-by Cranks with 36T Chainring

Rene Herse One-By Cranks are now available with a 36T chainring made from the same 7075 aluminum as their other rings. The One-By crank was originally introduced with a 40T chainring, but the new smaller ring offers better gearing for loaded bikepacking and bigger wheels. And, as with all Rene Herse cranks, One-By cranks can always be converted to doubles or triples using their spancers.

$455 / Made in Taiwan and USA / Details

Idaho Women’s Bikepacking Shirts

The folks at Idaho Women’s Bikepacking just put together some T-shirts for anyone looking to represent. The shirts are $25 each, come in a variety of colors and sizes, and can be purchased by messaging Idaho Women’s Bikepacking on Instagram. Learn more here.

In Conversation

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

Dirt Drops FTW

While most of us selected flat bars as our all-time-favourite handlebar for bikepacking, a number of drop bars were identified as runners-up. It seems many folks out there prefer bikepacking on drop bars with shallow drops, a wide stance, and some flare. The Ritchey VentureMax and Beacon handlebars were both mentioned, but we’re sure there are other popular favourites out there.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

Rockgeist BarJam Voluntary Recall

Rockgeist is voluntarily recalling brackets from the BarJam Harness. The reason is related to the bracket design that resulted in three (less than 1%) brackets cracking or breaking during use. Note that we still stand behind the award we gave this product and have used it a lot without issues. We’re guessing that the problems that have arisen are from very overloaded bags.

From Rockgeist: “We are unaware of any injuries that have resulted, however, we don’t want to take any chances. We ask that you discontinue use of these brackets immediately. Your safety is a priority for us and we stand behind our commitment to provide high quality bikepacking equipment that stands up to the rigors of singletrack bikepacking with heavily loaded bikes.”

Find details at @rockgeist.

Bikepacking Swap Meet: Canberra, Australia

Our friend Ty Domin is putting on a gear swap for bikepackers, tourers, commuters in Canberra, Australia, and everyone is invited. It sounds like a great opportunity to snag some deals on used gear and pass on items you’re not using, and it’s also a chance to donate unwanted gear to The Recyclery Canberra, a local community bike shop. The swap is on September 4th from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Scout Hall in O’Connor. Learn more here.

Bike Camping On All of the Southern Gulf Islands in One Week

Last month, Jordan Ross set off with a goal to ride all of the ferry-accessible southern Gulf Islands in British Columbia. They put together a great video recap of the trip, which should inspire those living on Vancouver Island or the mainland to get out and explore their backyards.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

2022 TNGA

The 350-mile 2022 Trans North Georgia Adventure (TNGA) kicks off this weekend through the mountains of northern Georgia with nearly 70 participants registered. Follow along on the Trackleaders map here.

2022 Big Sky Spectaculaire

The Big Sky Spectaculaire starts and finishes in Bozeman, located in southwest Montana. It is an 891-mile single-stage, self-supported competitive adventure bicycle ride around Southwest and Central Montana. The grand depart is this Monday at 6:30 a.m., and it looks like there are only a select few who will be lining up to take on the challenge. 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…

Lucas Winzenburg: Argentina

Ever since reading Taneli Roininen’s gripping story, “La Sed,” in The Bikepacking Journal 04, I’ve been captivated by the idea of taking on a loaded tour through the high-elevation Puna in Argentina, following his Ruta de Los Seis Miles (Norte and Sur). It’s been too long since I’ve pedaled through an otherworldly landscape, and this 30+ day, two-part route is right at the top of my list.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, some updates from the inaugural Alaska Divide, a 1,000-kilometer self-supported event from Anchorage to Deadhorse. Riders are currently underway with the frontrunners closing in on the finish. Follow along live here.

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