Friday Debrief: Cargo Bikepacking, Psychic Medium Bags, New ZPacks Tent, 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…

Farther Bag Co. Psychic Medium

Made in USA / $130 at FartherBag.com

Tennessee’s Farther Bag Co. just added a new batch of Psychic Medium handlebar bags to their web store. The latest version has a redesigned hooded lid and an interior drawcord closure for maximum water resistance. There’s a daisy chain on the lid with a movable buckle for different load sizes, it comes in four color options, and it measures 10.5″ wide x 5.5″ deep x 6.5″ tall.

Feedback Sports Range Click Torque Wrench

$120 at Feedback Sports

The Range Click Torque Wrench replaces its predecessor with solid, tactile click-torque function, a wide measurement range, user-friendly ergonomics, and shop-quality fit and finish. With 13 high-precision S2 tool steel bits and a protective, compact, and weather-resistant TPU fold-up-style case, this tool is a perfect companion for safe, secure repairs in the shop or on the go.

New Zpacks Offset Duo Tent

559 grams / $769 at Zpacks

Zpacks has been on a tear lately with tent upgrades and new models. Building on their flagship Duplex, the new Offset Duo tent offers a similar lightweight DCF construction with a new design based on a pole that lifts one side of the tent. They claim it has the roomiest interior in its class. The Offset’s living space is wider and longer and has more headroom than the Duplex, which Zpacks says makes it perfect for a couple of folks up to 6’6″ (198 cm) tall.

Buffalo Bags B66

Made in Thailand / $115 at BuffaloBagTH.com

The new Buffalo Bags B66 is a 6.6L handlebar bag that’s just big enough some extra layers, a camera, and snacks for bicycle-powered adventures. It’s not too big and not too small. The B66 is made from X-Pac, Cordura, or Canvas, has a quick-access flap closure, zippered pocket, daisy chain on the sides, and includes a shoulder strap.

Velocio Mountain Bike Collection

$79-$199 at Velocio.cc

Velocio just added a fresh new off-road collection to their lineup of cycling apparel, which includes everything from riding pants, shorts, and jerseys to long-sleeve merino shirts and lightweight riding jackets. The entire collection comes in a variety of colors and sizes in men’s and women’s styles.

HandleStash Insulated Stem Bag

Made in USA / $59 at HandleStash.com

Handmade in Colorado, the new HandleStash Insulated Stem Bag mounts between your stem and handlebar using three included velcro straps, and due to its insulation, it has proven to hold ice in a Nalgene bottle for more than hours. That also means it’s well-suited to keeping water from freezing on winter rides. It comes in three color options and has a one-handed cinch opening/closure.

Munda Biddi Trail Poster

$29.95 AUD at MundaBiddi.org

The Munda Biddi Trail Foundation worked with Alex Hotchin on a beautiful poster showcasing and celebrating the wonders of the region’s natural landscapes, cultural features, and unique flora and fauna. They are available in A1 and A2 size and printed on high-quality 200gsm+ gloss non-laminate stock. Domestic and international shipping is available.

In Conversation

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

Cargo Bikepacking

In Tuesday’s feature about Allan Shaw’s Silk Road Mountain Race-ready Omnium Cargo bike, a reader asked what effect its “long wheelbase and long front end [will have] on upper body comfort deep into the event.” With more and more people using cargo bikes for bikepacking trips, and even races, we’re curious to hear rider feedback about cargo bikes on tour. Have you taken a cargo bike on a big bikepacking trip? If so, tell us about it and what benefits it had, both physical and mental…

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

BESPOKED Heads to Germany: October 13-16th, 2023

BESPOKED is Europe’s largest annual exhibition of custom bikes, celebrating, elevating, and contributing to the sustainability of frame building by showcasing some of the most outstanding and exciting work in the cycling industry. After being hosted in the UK for the past 11 years, BESPOKED is heading to Dresden, Germany, in 2023, from the 13th to 16th of October. Learn more at Bespoked.cc.

Nothing’s for Free (free for 24 Hours)

This little news blip isn’t really bikepacking-related, but it’s a cool slice of bike history nonetheless. PinkBike just announced “Nothing’s For Free: The History of Freeride Mountain Biking” is streaming FREE for 24 hours this morning. The free stream ends at 7 a.m. PST on Saturday, August 5th, 2023. We’ll be watching it. Find it over at PinkBike now.

Last Call to Win a Custom Painted Esker Hayduke

There are only a few days left to win this beautifully custom painted Esker Hayduke and support the Oregon Timber Trail. All you need to do is donate $25 for the chance to win the custom Chris Conlin-painted bike, a custom frame bag from Rogue Panda Designs, and a weekend trip from September 22nd to 24th with Esker Cycles on the Oregon Timber Trail with support provided by Cog Wild. Make your donation here.

Make for the Coast (Video)

A few years back, our friend Lucas Greenough and a group of friends made an attempt to ride their bikes from Squamish to Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia via Pokosha Pass. He filmed and edited a video from the trip, but it never made it past the rough cut stage—until now. Watch the 10-minute video above.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

2023 French Divide

The 2,200-kilometer French Divide is a a kind of Tour Divide made in France that links the Franco-Belgian border to the Franco-Spanish border. It’s a challenging all-road route between gravel and mountain biking using the GR footpaths of Santiago de Compostela. There’s a grand depart tomorrow morning from the coast of Nord, France, and you can follow their progress live here.

The Great British Divide

Back for its third edition, the Great British Divide is an unsupported MTB bikepacking event from one end of the country to the other. The main route is around 70% off-road and with a distance of 2,050 kilometers and more than 35,000 meters of climbing, and there is a shorter 1,400-kilometer route this year too. The grand depart takes off tomorrow morning, and you can follow it live here.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, a handful of photos from the Sisters in the Wild Scotland Gravel Camp last month…

Further Reading

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

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