Friday Debrief: Auto Dropper, Daily Hook, Space Bikes, 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…

Fairlight Faran 2.0 in Damson

The European-made Fairlight Faran 2.0 that we reviewed last year is now available in a new Damson colorway. Here’s what Fairlight Cycles had to say about this new classy paint job: “Think somewhere between Bergarac’s Triumph Roadster and a 1970’s Aubergine Porsche 911. For a classic styling, the colour pairs beautifully with a silver Chris King or Hope headset. The optional CNC’d brass dropout plate is a must on this colour.” The new color is limited to just 25 frames across all sizes, available as framesets and complete builds.

£750 (frameset) / Made in Mainland Europe / Details

Hunt Proven Carbon Wheels

The new Hunt Proven Carbon Wheel lineup has been in development for the last two years and are finally available. There are two models: the Proven Carbon Race XC and the Proven Carbon Race Enduro. Both are based around a 30mm internal width, 5-degree hub engagement, and come with Hunt’s lifetime crash replacement warranty. Currently, they are only available as a complete wheelset with your choice of freehub body.

$1,099 / Made in Taiwan / Details

New Marin Gestalt X10

The all new 2023 Marin Gestalt X10 has been updated with mountain bike-inspired geometry, 10mm longer chainstays, and a slacker 67.5° head tube angle. It now has clearance for tires up to 700x50mm, or 27.5 x 2.1”, dropper post compatibility, and is designed around a short stem and wide bars. The complete build is based around a MicroSHIFT 1×10 drivetrain, 700x44mm tires, and mechanical disc brakes.

$1,549 / Made in Taiwan / Details

Apidura Backcountry Frame Pack (1L)

Apidura recently launched their smallest frame pack to date, the new Backcountry Frame Pack, which has a one-liter capacity and was designed with compact frame geometries in mind. Measuring 22cm by 10.5cm at its longest and tallest points, the bag features a fully waterproof design, dual-entry cable port, zip closure, reflective graphics, and an internal lash tab.

$65 / Details

Park Tool EP-1 End Cap Crimping Pliers

The new Park Tool EP-1 is purpose-built to install end caps onto brake, derailleur, and dropper post cables. It has short tapered jaws with dual crimping positions for use in tight, awkward spaces. The EP-1 is made from forged machined steel with vinyl-dipped handles.

$30 / Details

Fair Bicycle Daily Hook

Released earlier this week, the Fair Bicycle Daily Hook is a versatile cargo strap based around a CNC machined hook and repurposed inner tube. The Daily Hook is meant to be durable and functional, perfect for cargo bikes, rear racks, or potentially bikepacking. The tube can be replaced, the rubber coating on the hook can be re-applied, and most of it is either Swiss or German-made.

$65 / Made in Germany / Switzerland / Details

Marin Pine Mountain 1 “Throwback” Colorway

The latest Marin Pine Mountain 1 colorway is a throwback to some of the flashy paint jobs Marin was using in the early 1990’s. The decals have some clever details, including pink splatter and a teal backdrop, plus Marin used different fonts that pay homage to their early beginnings. The Pine Mountain 1 costs $1,499 and is built up with a RockShox Recon RL 120mm fork, a wide range Shimano / Sunrace 11-speed drivetrain, and hydraulic brakes. Make sure to check out Logan’s review here.

$1499 / Made in Taiwan / Details

Nitecore NU25 + Zpacks Pro Headband

Being big fans of the Nitecore NU25’s lightweight design and features, Zpacks designed a custom equally lightweight headband to save more weight and increase comfort. The custom headband saves half an ounce over the stock band, which is also included, and is made in the USA.

$39.95 / Made in Taiwan + USA / Details

BMC’s Self-Dropping Dropper Post

BMC released their newest Fourstroke, a full-suspension cross-country bike, and it comes outfitted with the first automatic self-dropping dropper post—meaning it extends and drops at the push of a button. It works by utilizing compressed air inside the downtube, which when activated by the lever, pushes on a piston which forces the post down—requiring no weight or body movement from the rider. Press the lever again and the air releases, allowing the coil spring to return the post back to an extended position. Check it out at BMC-Switzerland.com.

Angry Catfish Ramble Jamble T-Shirt

Angry Catfish in Minneapolis just launched some new merch and their Ramble Jamble “Go Slow, Bring Everything” T-shirt is spot on.

$25 / Details

Fresh Surly Merch

Our friends at Surly just released some new merch, including hats, socks, and some shirts. It’s all available from your local Surly dealer and if they don’t currently have it in stock, they can order it in for you.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

Patz of Ultradynamico’s OPEN U.P. Space Bike

The latest video on the Ultra Romance YouTube channel features Ronnie’s business partner Patz’ Open U.P. build. Check it out below.

Updates from the 2022 Atlas Mountain Race

This year’s Atlas Mountain Race has been exciting to follow along. One noteworthy rider is 25-year-old Marin de St Exupéry, who finished the event in 3 days, 18 hours, 14 minutes—finishing first and setting a new fastest known time in the process. Check out some other recent updates from the event below…

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

2022 Arkansas High Country Race

This year, riders taking on the Arkansas High Country Race get to choose from three different routes, including two new options that have never been offered before. The full route is 1,000+ miles, the South Loop is 487 miles, and the Ouachita Triple Crown is 183 miles. There is a grand depart tomorrow, starting from the host city of Hot Springs, at 7:00am. Follow along live here.

2022 Race Across Texas (RAT)

The RAT 1000 crosses Texas via 1000 miles, cities large and small, ghost towns, pine forests, deserts, canyons and sights almost nobody else has seen. This year there are several ways to participate, including shorter one-day rides, the Mini RAT 275, and Mini RAT 525. RAT Week kicks off tomorrow 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…

Lucas Winzenburg: Reunion Island

Because of its geographical isolation, our Vavangeur route on Reunion Island—located in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mauritius—has understandably not received a ton of attention since we published it in 2016. I actually spent a year living on Réunion back in 2009-10, and it remains one of the most spectacularly beautiful places I’ve ever been. While I was there, I picked up a 90s MTB and did some riding, but most of my bigger trips were on foot through the island’s rugged interior. Although I don’t see it happening anytime soon, I would love to get back to ride the three-day route someday—and of course to eat some delicious rougail saucisse and catch another glorious sunset atop Piton des Neiges, the highest point on the island.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, a couple of cool builds that caught our eye…

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