Friday Debrief: Grocery Bag Rack, 2.8″ All-Packa, Favorite Frame Material Survey, 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. See this week’s findings below.

Bits & Bobs

New products that are worth highlighting but didn’t make the Dispatch…

2024 Bike Friday All-Packa Pre-orders Open

Made in USA / $1,795 (frame kit); $2,495 (complete) at Bike Friday

We already shared a sneak peek at the 2024 Bike Friday All-Packa in our MADE Bike Show coverage earlier this fall, but now you can purchase the real thing. The All-Packa is a 20″ folding bicycle designed to pack down small to make transportation easier, and it’s also the most off-road capable folding bike out there, now sporting clearance for chunky 2.8″ tires, lots of braze-ons, and geometry optimized for hauling gear and off-road riding.

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For a limited time, the 2024 All-Packa comes with a free Bike Friday Bermuda Triangle bag, the option for SRAM APEX AXS 1×12 as an upgrade in addition to the standard 1×9, 2×9, and 1×11 drivetrains, and they are also offering free shipping. Don’t wait long, though, as there are only 15 pre-order spots available for the first December delivery.

Ron’s Bikes X-pac Tulip & Holy LaRon Collection

Made in USA / $106+ at Rons Bikes

Ron’s Bikes latest bag collection features a custom printed set of bags with their signature tulips and holy print, made from Connecticut X-Pac VX21. The collection includes their Small Chest roll-top handlebar bag (no large), Fanny Pack, and Fabs Abs handlebar pack.

Paper Roads Ranger Harness V2

Made in New Zealand / $150 NZD at Paper Roads

The Paper Roads Ranger Harness is a lightweight and minimal handlebar harness designed to carry your favourite dry bag. The harness was just updated to be 20mm wider to accommodate wider loads, the Hypalon slots allow both handlebar straps and Voile straps to wrap around fibreglass batten (supports upward and downward weight), and it has a stiffer inner foam structure.

New Cascada Land Outdoor Shirts

Made in Italy / $140 at Cascada.cc

The Cascada Land Outdoor Shirt was one of the most comfortable options in our Cycling-Friendly Flannel Roundup. It’s made from 77% polyester and 16% wool with 7% elastan for some stretch. The combination is soft, stretchy, and quick-drying—perfect for long days on the bike that call for a little protection from the cool air. Cascada just released eight new designs, including two women’s options, and they are available now. Bikepacking Collective members: don’t forget to use your 20% off discount!

Inkubo BC: The Bicycle Shopping Bag Carrier

Made in Italy / €28 at Kickstarter

The new Inkubo BC system is a rack-mounted system that locks the upper portion of your favourite reusable shopping bag to the top platform of the rack. The unique design uses a slider system that is quick and easy to operate and holds the bag tight so it doesn’t deform while riding. It weighs 500 grams and supports more than 15 kilograms of weight per side. The Inkubo BC system just launched on Kickstarter and you can reserve one for an estimated 30% off retail price or €28 (~$30 USD).

7mesh x Ciele HDcap

Made in TBD / $70/75 CAD at 7mesh

Canadian brands 7mesh and Ciele joined forces to release the HDcap, a winter cycling cap that uses 7mesh’s advanced WTV fabric, a lightweight lofted material, with a woven wind protective outer to provide “cozy comfort across a wide range of fall and winter conditions.” WTV fabric is Bluesign-approved, and PFC- and PFAS-free.

2024 New Albion Drake

Made in Taiwan / $619 (Frameset) at New Albion Cycles

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The New Albion Drake is a Chromoly steel drop bar dirt-tourer/adventure rig, and it was just updated for 2024. It features a threaded bottom bracket, quick-release dropouts, lots of mounting points, clearance for 27.5 x 2.1″ tires, and it comes in five frame sizes. New Albion is also offering an optional matching fork with low-rider rack mounts, but the frame can handle any rigid fork with a 390-400mm axle to crown with 44-50mm rake/offset. Hit up your local New Albion Cycles dealer to learn more.

Ritchey Universal Stem Mount

$21.95 at RitcheyLogic.com

While it’s not technically new, Ritchey shared their Universal Stem Mount on Instagram this week. The Stem Mount uses an adjustable strut that is compatible with stem faceplates bolts from 44mm wide down to 15mm. It comes in either a SuperNova mount or versatile GoPro mount style and looks like a clean way to mount a light for night rides and commuting.

Cedaero Esker Hayduke LVS Hideout Pack

Made in USA / $199.95 at Cedaero

Made specifically for the new Esker Hayduke LVS, the Cedaero Hideout Pack gives you a spot to stash supplies between the seat tube and rear wheel. The pack is fully padded on all sides, uses durable water-resistant zippers, and is made from your choice of 1000D Cordura or 15oz waxed Canvas with a nylon liner.

Crumbworks Chunk Pre-Order

Made in Japan / ¥220,000 at Crumbworks

Teased earlier this year, the new Crumbworks Chunk is a fillet-brazed all-terrain klunker that blends some curvy lines with old and new standards. It has a 1″ head tube, threaded fork, 68mm threaded bottom bracket, flat mount disc brakes, clearance for 27.5 x 2.8″ tires, lots of mounts, and internal dropper post routing. Pre-orders just opened at their shop in Japan and it’s priced at ¥220,000 (no paint) or ¥253,000 (powder coat). Currently the Chunk doesn’t appear to be available outside of Japan.

In Conversation

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

What type of bikes do you want to see more of?

We’ve always covered a broad range of bike types and riding styles here on the site. Just this week, we posted a review of the relatively aggressive Transition Smuggler full-squish trail bike, a Gear Index featuring 40+ rigid steel mountain bikes, and even a cargo bike made from a mini velo. That’s one thing that we’ve love about this site and what we do. Variety is the spice of life, as they say. That being said, some posts are more popular than others, so we want to check in with our readers. Please tell us what type of bike you’d most like to see us cover and review here at BIKEPACKING.com by answering the three questions in the survey below:

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

The Most Titanium Mountain Bike in the World

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Sebastian Karimian recently updated his Most Titanium Mountain Bike Project with version two, which includes a staggering number of titanium components and small bits for what he believes to be the most titanium mountain bike in the world. Everything from the barrel nuts to grips are made from titanium, including several parts Sebastian manufactured and modified himself. You can find more photos and a complete list of titanium parts on his Facebook page.

What makes a bike ride well?

You know what your parents always said: Don’t believe everything you hear on the internet. Case in point, in his latest video, Ronnie from Ron’s bikes “dispells myths” about all the factors that go into making a bike ride well, including frame geometry, contact points, tires, and tubing choices.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

2023 Central Texas Showdown

The Central Texas Showdown is the brainchild of Patrick at the Bikes or Death podcast. It follows a similar format to the popular East Texas Showdown event, with three route options to choose from: the 472-mile Central Texas Showdown route, 296-mile SLOWdown route, or the 167-mile LOWdown. There are more than 80 riders registered for live tracking, and you can follow their progress live here.

2023 Rhino Run

The Rhino Run is an immersive bikepacking expedition with a charitable focus, supporting the Masaka Cycling Club Foundation in Uganda. There are currently 20 riders signed up for the grand depart next Wednesday, and you’ll be able to follow their progress live here when the event kicks off.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, a handful of photos from the 2023 Arkansas High Country Race taken by photographer Kai Caddy…

Further Reading

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

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