Friday Debrief: Neutrinos, Limpets, a Superfortress, 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…

Updated Nuclear Sunrise Superfortress

Utah-based Nuclear Sunrise Stichworks just updated their Superfortress handlebar harness with a new lower strut design that’s said to eliminate cable/hose interference, head tube rub, and wobble or bounce on the trail. Lengths of daisy chain webbing allow for multiple positions, and the harness is reinforced with an internal stiffener to keep things tight.

$75 / Made in Utah, USA / Details

Ride Concepts Tallac and Flume Shoes

The new Tallac and Flume lineup from Ride Concepts consists of four shoe models in both men’s and women’s sizing. Designed for aggressive trail riding, the entire lineup uses a unique reverse hex tread pattern for traction while hiking, D3O insoles for better impact absorption, and TPU protection in high-wear areas. There are options for both clipless and flat, in either BOA or lace-up closures.

$160-210 / Made in China / Details

Drj0n Limpets

The Limpet is a fascinating little product from Drj0n Bagworks, made specifically to mount accessories (racks, lights, bottle cages, etc.) to smaller diameter tubes—think seat stays, truss forks, and other small tubes. Jon sent over some photos earlier this week and we added it to our recently updated Gear Index of products and ways to mount bottle cages to your bike. Similar to the Drj0n Barnacle, it’s 3D printed in a hard plastic and clamps around the tube with a single M5 bolt and captive nut. The Limpet is available to fit 16mm, 18mm, 20mm, and 22mm tubes.

£7 / Made in UK / Details

In Conversation

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

29 x 2.6 on the Bootzipper

In case you missed it, we posted a Dispatch about the new (to us) On-One Bootzipper earlier this week. After stating that it had clearance for 2.4″ tires, a few readers let us know that it easily fits 29 x 2.6″ rubber. Jack from the UK mentioned, “With 30mm internal wheels, I run Vittoria Barzo 29 x 2.6 tyres on my size large and these clear fine, even with the UK winter mud.” Considering Vittorias usually run pretty big, we’re guessing this bike may even work with 2.8s.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

August Bicycles Raised £12k for Ukraine!

The August Bicycles Cyclists for Ukraine fundraiser was a great success, raising funds for the British Red Cross through a raffle. In an Instagram post last week, they stated, “You should all be so proud. We are blown away. There are words but they are getting a bit choked up right now. The lives you will all impact with this are numerous. Well done you lovely bunch. 🧡” You can still chip in and be entered to win several great prizes, including the pack we chipped in as pictured above. Learn more here.

Bay Area By Hand visits Outer Shell

Bay Area By Hand is an ongoing series highlighting makers in San Francisco’s Bay Area. They teamed up with Pedal Born Pictures to film a fantastic interview with Outer Shell’s Founder Kyle Ng. Watch it above and then head over to @bayareabyhand to see more.

Velo Orange Neutrinos are back in stock

Velo Orange just announced new stock of their Neutrino Mini-Velo and Pass Hunter framesets, and Jeremy Suhan’s build from Kissing Crows Cyclery in Vancouver, BC, caught our attention as a super fun looking rig. Most retailers, including Kissing Crows, have framesets available for preorder now.

Wizard Works Supports Ukraine

London’s Wizard Works announced a special blue and yellow colorway of their Lil Presto barrel bag and regular size Voila stem bags this morning, and they’ll be donating all the proceeds (100% of sales, not just profits) to the DEC British Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal to help those fleeing from the war in Ukraine. You can learn more and buy a bag here.

More on Yatika Starr Fields

In case you want to dig in more on the Mid South x Yatika Starr Fields Warbird we announced on Tuesday, we found this second video they produced on Yatika’s philosophy and compositions: “Yatika Starr Fields is an ultra runner, painter and muralist from Oklahoma and currently living and working in Tulsa in conjunction with the Tulsa Artist Fellowship. Fields has spent the last decade on the East Coast, New York City and most recently Seattle where the energy of urban life inspires and feeds the creative force in his artwork. He seeks to influence his viewers to rethink and reshape their relationships to the world around them.”

Brother in the Wild Returns to Bordeaux

Brother Cycles just announced the return of their two-day Brother in the Wild adventure festival in Bordeaux, France, which will once again be co-hosted by Musette Bicycles & Coffee and will take place on April 23rd and 24th. Tickets are €70 and include camping, dinner, and more. Learn more and get registered here.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

Cloudride Prologue 500

The Cloudride Prologue is an entry-level event for first-time bikepacking racers to test gear, navigation, and themselves over two or three days and gain an experience of the terrain and fatigue levels that they will encounter on the full 1000-kilometer Monaro Cloudride. There are over 50 riders registered for the grand depart tomorrow and you can follow their progress here.

The Drift 100

Starting this morning, The Drift 100 is a self-supported winter race in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming, the largest mountain range in the state. Much of the course is along the Continental Divide, and as Drifters navigate back and forth over the Divide itself, they’ll reach elevations just shy of 10,000 feet. 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: Altravesur

I spent the winter in the south of Spain two years back, and I’ve been eager to return ever since. I didn’t have many opportunities to get more than a day’s ride beyond my home base in Malaga at the time, but I was always captivated by the idea of signing off for a while to pedal further afield on Logan’s stunning Altravesur route. First published back in 2016 and updated last year, it looks to offer the perfect blend of challenging backcountry beauty and small Spanish town charm, and I can’t wait to head back to one of my favorite corners of Europe to experience the route for myself sometime soon.

Happy International Women’s Day

As a belated nod to International Women’s Day earlier this week, we thought we’d share this poignant quote from today’s feature. There’s a lot of valuable perspective in Zaïna’s words:

“This is my first big bike trip, and it has already taught me a lot about humility, vulnerability, and the art of balancing pushing my limits and listening to my body… I noticed how proud and happy I feel to cross paths with other women ciclistas or BIPOC, or minorities, or let’s say someone that looks like me riding bikes. But wow, as I immerse myself, I also realise this doesn’t happen often. I feel empowered to be where I am and what I am doing. I am privileged to have these opportunities and I want to use that as a tool for breaking stigmas and enlarging the community with more diversity of human bodies on bikes. One push at a time.”

In case you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, find today’s Cargodoggo feature here.

Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.