Friday Debrief: 6-Bolt Paul Boxcar Stems, Astrotactics, Dyneema High Above, 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…

Paul 6-Bolt 22.2mm Boxcar Stem

Made in USA / $147+ at PaulComp.com

Paul Components took their classic 22.2mm Boxcar Stem and beefed it up with an extra-thick faceplate and two more (for a total of six) high-strength stainless faceplate screws. The Paul 6-Bolt 22.2mm Boxcar Stem comes in 35mm and 50mm lengths, uses a 7/8″ (22.2mm) clamp, and is available in silver, pewter, polisher, and black.

Wizard Works Quick Draw Bottle Pocket

Made in UK / £30 at Wizard Works

Designed alongside the Hobgob Hip Pack we recently reviewed, the Wizard Works Quick Draw Bottle Pocket uses special clips to attach to the side of the pack for additional water storage. It uses a semi-structured pocket and simple elastic cord to keep the bottle in place that can be operated with one hand.

Orbea Laufey Hardtail

Made in Taiwan / $1,899-2,999 at Orbea

The new Orbea Laufey was released this week with an alloy frame built around a 140mm travel fork. Featuring a 64.5° head tube angle, a 77° seat tube, and a long front-center, it looks like it would be fun on the trails. And with “Locker” down tube storage and a sub-$2,000 price point, it might be a solid entry-level trail/bikepacking bike for those looking for something tuned to more progressive mountain biking.

High Above Astrotactics Lookout 3

Made in USA / $170+ at High Above

The new High Above Astrotactics Lookout 3 takes their most popular hip pack model and amps it up with some 5.0 oz Dyneema, heavy duty webbing, YKK Aquaguard #8 zippers, and extra long zipper pulls. As always, the Astrotactics Lookout 3 is handmade in Washington.

Cane Creek Chroma Studio

From Asheville, NC at Cane Creek

Cane Creek just announced color variations on several of their products to add a splash of Blue, Red, Gold, or Silver to your bike. Hellbender 70 Headsets and Headset topcaps, Hellbender 70 Bottom Brackets, Crank Preloaders, and eeBarkeeps are now available with these anodized colors. Additionally, the Helm MKII fork has options for Red, Blue, Gold or Silver knobs, caps, and stickers.

PEdALED Fall/Winter 2023 Jary Collection

$70-$220 at PEdALED

According to PEdALED, their latest Jary Collection is suited for “casual days exploring on the saddle or cool nights around the campfire.” It includes a collared long sleeve, hooded jersey, pants, and riding gloves in a variety of color options.

Outer Shell Everyday Tote Restock

Made in California / $185+ at Outer Shell

Lucas recently reviewed the unique two-in-one Outer Shell Everyday Tote, but the bags were out of stock at the time of publishing. While they last, we just got word that Outer Shell has a full restock of bags in Black, Brown, Cow, Multicam Black, and Graphite. If anyone is looking for an exceptionally well-made Wald 137 basket bag that packs in an impressive set of user-friendly features, these are well worth a look.

Revel Rover in Aurora and Black Nugget

Made in Taiwan / $1800+ at RevelBikes.com

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Revel Bikes just launched two new colors for their Rover gravel bike: Aurora and Black Nugget. Complete Rovers are available a variety of build options, so you can choose a Rover with the latest and greatest 12-speed groupsets from SRAM or Shimano. It’s also available as a frameset (frame + fork) for $2,400, currently on sale for $1,800.

Rodeo Labs Traildonkey in Pistachio and Slickrock

Made in Taiwan / $2985+ at Rodeo-Labs.com

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The Rodeo Labs Traildonkey 4.0 is now available in two fresh colors called Pistachio and Slickrock. Both are being made in limited quantities, and when they are sold out, they won’t be made again. Production is completed and are expected to ship to customers by late November. You have your choice of decal colors, and they are using a new design that results in a cleaner, lower-profile decal. Framesets cost $2,985, and complete builds start around $6,000, but custom options are also available.

Ornot Decade Collection

Made in USA / $14-$145 at Ornot Bike

California-based cycling apparel brand Ornot is celebrating 10 years of business with the new Ornot Decade Collection. The drop consists of a limited edition re-release of their original jersey, throwback socks, and bottles. The Decade Jersey is limited to 200 individually numbered pieces and is available for pre-order today.

In Conversation

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

50 Bikepacking Routes (so far) in 2023

As of this week, we’ve published 50 bikepacking route guides so far in 2023. We’re excited to continue to grow and improve this resource that we started back in 2014, which now includes 425 routes worldwide. Where on the map would you like to see more routes? Let us know in the conversation below.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

WZRD BCXC

We stumbled upon this stunning custom Canada-made WZRD BCXC and couldn’t resist reaching out to the frame builder, Emma, to learn more. It’s a big hardtail mountain bike designed to tackle the steep and slippery trails around North Vancouver, with big 2.6″ tires and a beautiful 90s inspired paint job, and it’s sporting the raffle winning bar and stem from WZRD’s first raffle. See more from WZRD on Instagram.

Bike Story Night Virtual Chat with Alexandra Houchin

In this virtual chat episode, Valerie chats with Alexandra Houchin, an Anishinaabekwe (Ojibwe woman), about her single-speed bike life, personal body journey, the upcoming 2023 Triple Crown, Chumba bikes, and her film “Stronger Together,” which takes an intimate look into a story inspired by her mother’s journey to provide a good life for her and her siblings.

Temple Cycles Autumn Sale + German Shops

UK-based Temple Cycles, makers of the Adventure Disc all-road platform, are currently running their first-ever sale on new bikes, including the Adventure Disc gravel/touring platform. For a limited time, buyers can save 30% on bikes and accessories. Additionally, they just expanded operations to Germany, opening stores in Berlin and Munich. Learn more at Temple Cycles.

New Triple Crown Icon on Trackleaders

With four women and two men chasing a successful Triple Crown (completing the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail, and Arizona Trail Race in a single season) at this year’s Arizona Trail Race, it seems Trackleaders has added a special dot icon that makes it easier to spot them on the map. Plus, you can also sort to just display these folks as well. For those wondering, Katya Rakhmatulina is currently sitting in first place for the women’s triple crown and overall.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

2023 Arizona Trail Race

The 2023 Arizona Trail Race took off from Hereford at the US/Mexico border on Thursday with well over 50 riders signed up to tackle the 800 or 300 mile route north across Arizona. We’re expecting a good race this year, with lots of big names, hot conditions, and several women in the running for the fastest Triple Crown time. Follow along live and stay tuned for updates on our Tracker page.

Wilson’s Ramble Group Start

Overmountain Cycles, BIKEPACKING.com, and Linville Adventure Pasture are rounding up folks for the annual group ride on the Wilson’s Ramble loop (note the group ride route was changed to start at a different location and provide more camping opportunities). The ride takes off at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning from Nebo, North Carolina, following a 133-mile route through “the other Pisgah.” If you’re in the area and want to make some last-minute plans, find details here.

Wish We Were Here

Shedding a little light on a route one of us is dreaming about riding at the moment…

Josh Meissner: Montanas Vacias

As I settle back into my city life in Berlin, I’m haunted by the red dirt, perfect silences, and vast open skies I experienced in the empty mountains around Teruel earlier this year. I choke up looking at the photos I took; clearly I’ve barely even started processing that sublime episode. I had a good month to cruise around on the endless gravel, yet I feel like I only scratched the surface of the magnificent region around the Montañas Vacías route.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, a handful of photos from Markagram 2023 in Vermont…

Further Reading

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

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