Friday Debrief: Purple Brakes, Milk Crate Bags, Turquoise Tires, 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…

Purple Hayes Brakes

Hayes just unveiled a limited edition of the Hayes Dominion A4 brakes, aka Purple Hayes. The Dominion is a well-regarded MTB brake that’s made for everything from trail riding to downhill. The Purple Hayes A4 model features an adjustable reach lever and two-piece aluminum caliper body with four pistons. We haven’t tried this model, but it looks interesting…

Made in Taiwan / $249 at Hayes Bicycle

Handup Berms and Backsplashes Collection

As Handup puts it, “It was Thanksgiving of ’97 that we looked up from the dish ridden sink to see a newly installed backsplash. The mesmerizing memorial to western wall adornment inspired our Berms and Backsplashes Collection. This pattern has traveled through the wild west, to a humble east coast kitchen, and now, to a glove for you!”

Made in TBD / $14-49 at Handup Gloves

Rambler Bags Roll Top Milk Crate Bag

After multiple customer requests, Rambler Bags just released a roll-top style basket bag designed specifically to match up perfectly with your favorite milk crate. The bag has foam padding on all sides, extra long closure straps, lots of internal pockets, and the same shockcord storage they use on the Ramblonneurs. It has a massive capacity of 25-50L+ and is available until April 8th, 2023.

Made in USA / $195 at RamblerBags.com

Search And State Restock

Our friends over at Search and State restocked their website this week and it’s ready for action after a bit of a break. “Thanks to our community for being incredibly patient while we took a minute to reorganize the inner-workings of the brand and upgrade our systems.”

Made in NYC / SearchAndState.com

PEdALED Odyssey Collection: Spring 2021

The new Spring 2023 PEdALED Odyssey Collection was just launched and includes a full range of jerseys, bibs, vests, fresh colors, and new designs. Watch the launch video above and then head over to their website to learn more.

Made in Italy / $25-$180 at Pedaled.com

Durston X-Mid Pro 1 Back in Stock

The super light Durston X-Mid Pro 1 sold out in just 36 hours in January, but is back in stock. Just like its larger sibling that we’re currently testing, the Durston X-Mid Pro 1 is a Dyneema composite shelter that, unlike most trekking pole-style shelters, requires just four stakes to set up and boasts lots of internal living space. The tent itself weighs just 465g (16.4oz), and the stuff sack and required stakes will add another ~20g to that.

Made in China / $599 at DurstonGear.com

Enve Grid Fleece

Made for chilly morning starts and shoulder season rides, Enve’s Grid Fleece Hoodie is a mid-layer fleece that they claim has just enough climate regulating permeability to let the air flow as temperatures warm. We’ve been pretty impressed with the ENVE apparel we’ve tried so far and saw an email announcing this piece this week, which looks quite nice.

Made in TBD / $110 at ENVE in Women’s Men’s

Panaracer Gravelking in Sunset Orange and Turquoise Blue

Panaracer’s latest limited-edition launch includes two bright new Gravelking color options: Sunset Orange and Turquoise Blue. Choose from the standard Gravelking slick, the Gravelking SK and the Gravelking SS in sizes 700 x 32c, 700 x 38c and 700 x 43c (43c in SK and SS only). All models offer a choice of brown or blackwall in both colors.

Made in Japan / $60 at PanaracerUSA.com

In Conversation

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

Thanks for your support

With the spring membership drive deadline approaching fast (April 17th), we published a teaser of the upcoming special edition issue 10 of The Bikepacking Journal this week. We appreciate all the lovely comments from members who expressed their enjoyment of poring over each and every story in print and savoring it over morning coffee. Moreover, we really appreciate the comments that recognize the need to support all we do here at BIKEPACKING.com. The Bikepacking Collective is so much more than the Journal, and without it we wouldn’t be able to publish regular in-depth reviews, detailed videos, rich editorial pieces, and up to the minute news and events. Nor would we be able to create and maintain the largest and first-of-its-kind bikepacking route network in the world. If you’re a regular reader of the site and haven’t yet become a sustaining member, what would you like to see more of? Would the option of a lower cost membership without the printed Journal be of interest?

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

Last Chance to Register for the inaugural Sydney to Summit

The Sydney to Summit, a new event from Dan Hunt of the Hunt 1000 and Hunt Bikes, has a grand finish (rather than a grand depart) on April 29th in Jindabyne, NSW. There are only a few more days to register, so head over to SydneytoSummit.com to learn more.

Leo Rodgers Mega Raffle

Crust Bikes is putting on a raffle in support of Leo Rodgers, who was involved in a terrible bicycle accident a week before the holidays 2022. There are a total of five prize packs to be given away, and all you have to do is donate $21 to Leo’s GoFundMe page to enter. After your donation, screenshot your receipt with subject LEO MEGA RAFFLE and email to winbig@crustbikes.com.

Ultra Distance Plastic Resistance

Taylor Doyle sent over materials for a new initiative that they started this year. Ultra Distance Plastic Resistance is a challenge to the racing community to ride a plastic-free bikepacking ride or race in 2023. To read the rules and sign up, go to the pledge page here and then report a ride here and tag #plasticfreeultra on the socials. Be sure to check out Cass’ plastic-free article here for inspiration and insights into his effort a few years ago.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

Doom (Arkansas Gravel)

Doom is a beautifully evil 375-mile bikepacking ride in Arkansas’ Ozarks mountains, consisting of soul-sucking climbs, rough roads, and a whopping 41,000 feet of elevation gain. There are nearly 50 riders signed up to participate this year. Follow along live on the Trackleaders map here.

Dales Divide

Now in its fourth year, the Dales Divide follows a 600-kilometer bikepacking route across the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks. Riders challenge themselves to go as fast as they can (safely!) starting at 8:00am and returning back to Arnside. Follow along on the Trackleaders map here.

Monaro Cloudride 1000

The Monaro Cloudride 1000 is one of Australia’s premier bikepacking races, traversing the the SE Monaro region of Australia and up through the Australian Alps in a 1000k circuit starting and finishing in Canberra. The grand depart took off on April 7th at 8:00am local time with just under 20 riders signed up for live tracking. 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…

Logan Watts: Hellbender

Spring is in the air in the eastern Appalachians. The dogwoods are popping and the forest is quickly morphing from gray to green. Regular singlespeed training in the woods has been a great way to soak it all in and watch it happen at a slow pace, but it’s made me long for a trip to Virginia to scout a few alternates for the fifth segment of the Eastern Divide Trail.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, a handful of additional April Fools’ posts that we missed in our annual roundup, which you can find here.

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