Friday Debrief: DropperBlock, Whipped Butter Bridge Club, the Perfect eTrex, 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…

Memento Cycles Cargo Bike

Made in Canada / $2,800+ CAD at Memento Cycles

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Memento Cycles in Montréal recently built up their first cargo bike for a customer, and it has some interesting specs that we wanted to share with everyone. It’s made from a mix of Columbus Cromor, Columbus Zona, and straight 4130 tubing. It has 3.0″ tire clearance up front, 700 x 50c or 26 x 2.3″ in the rear, and there are extra bottle mounts on the side of the platform for extra cargo. “The main interesting part is the way we fixed the platform on the cross bar instead of the headtube. That way, it leaves more space for the handlebars when carrying a big load,” Éliane Trudeau of Memento Cycles explained. They have plans to make more in the future, so if you’re looking for a Canada-made cargo bike, reach out to Memento.

Meriwether Cycles Shimzilla

Made in USA / $28 at Meriwether Cycles

Meriwether Cycles Shimzilla is an extra-wide 22.2 to 31.8mm handlebar shim that allows you to mount various things on either side of the stem clamp. The Shimzilla is made from is 6061 Aluminum by Paragon Machine Works and has a 3.0″ wide 31.8mm clamping section. Shimzilla can also be used for mounting handlebar cradles, such as the Salsa Anything Cradle or Miss Grape ILCOSO to your Ti or steel 22.2mm bars from Oddity, Surly, Mone, BTCHN, Meriwether, or Doom. Meriwether claims they may even help with bar strength and prevent metal fatigue on the bar.

160mm Cane Creek eeWings Now Available

Made in Taiwan / $1,099 at Cane Creek

Previously only offered in 165, 170, and 175mm, Cane Creek’s eeWings cranks are finally available in a 160mm version. For those not familiar, the eeWings are some of the nicest cranks out there, featuring a full titanium construction, enduro-rated durability, a 10-year warranty, and a featherlight 400 gram total weight. Logan and Miles have both been using them since their release in 2018, and they’ve proven to be exceptionally well-made and incredibly stiff.

Sinewave Cycles Mix-and-Match

Made in USA / $390 at Sinewave Cycles

Sinewave Cycles just added a cool new feature to their website that allows you to mix and match colors on your Beacon dynamo light when placing an order, which means no more post-order emails. You can specify the front cap, middle, and rear cap, and they have 13 fun anodized colors to choose from.

Ride with GPS QuickNav

Free at Ride with GPS

Ride with GPS QuickNav is a new feature for their mobile app that allows users to quickly get from point A to point B. By searching for a location or long-pressing on the mobile app, QuickNav automatically generates a route and an estimated time to your destination. It will also reroute in real time if you head off course. QuickNav is being offered for free to all RWGPS users for a limited time, regardless of subscription level.

Rogue Panda DropperBlock

$40 at Rogue Panda

The new Rogue Panda DropperBlock takes design cues from dropper post stanchion adapters such as the Wolf Tooth Valais and Apidura Backcountry Dropper Post Adapter but is compatible with 22mm and 28mm stanchions. Wolf Tooth and Apidura’s adapters are sized for 25 and 26mm stanchions, so Rogue Panda stepped in to provide another option. The DropperBlock is made of 3D-printed nylon and comes in two parts that bolt together to create a perfect mounting surface for their Ripsey Seat Bag or any seat bag with a 1″ wide strap.

Framework Designs The Travellers Prickly Pear Pre-Order

Made in Australia / $249 AUD/pair at Framework Designs

Framework Designs in Australia just updated their Travellers mini panniers with a few new features and a fresh new color option called Prickly Pear (pictured here). The Travellers feature three-pack bolt spacing for cargo mounts, lots of webbing options for strapping them onto racks with Voile Nano Straps, and they are built from Australian-made Canvas. The special Prickly Pear version is available for pre-order now with your choice of side-release buckles or brass G-hooks.

Surly Bridge Club in Whipped Butter

Made in Taiwan / $1,449+ at Surly Bikes

Surly just launched a fresh Bridge Club paint job they’re calling “Whipped Butter.” The new color also comes with some updated build specs, including the Shimano CUES wide-range 1×11 drivetrain, Tektro Hydraulic brakes, and chunky WTB Trail Boss 27.5 x 2.4″ tires. The Whipped Butter Bridge Club is available as both a complete build and frameset.

Tunitas Kaleidescape Day Tote Drops next Tuesday

Made in USA / $120 at Tunitas Creative

Jessica over at Tunitas Creative has been teasing some flashy tie-dye fabrics over the last few weeks, and while they aren’t bike-specific, they’re too cool not to share. The Kaleidescape Day Tote features a mixture of tie-dyed canvas and X-Pac or EcoPak (depending on color) with an EcoPak EPLX200 lining. It has a small zippered interior pocket, mini carabiner closer, and measures out to 15 x 6 x 13″ (WxDxH). They also made a Mini Zip Pouch with a tie-dye canvas exterior that will be available for $40. They will both be available next Tuesday, November 21st.

Fabio’s Performance Purse

Made in USA / $55 at Ron’s Bikes

Just released, the new Fabio’s Performance Purse from Ronnie Romance over at Ron’s Bikes looks great for anyone on the go. It’s a handy bag made from 8.25oz waxed canvas, packs down to the size of a softball, and is wide enough to fit a large laptop and whatever else you need for a fun day outside.

In Conversation

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

NOTE: DISQUS is having issues

For anyone who’s left comments on our site over the last 10-12 hours, note that they’ve been recorded, but there is a platform issue with the Disqus comments system and these comments are not currently being displayed. We are hoping to resolve this soon. Thanks for your patience.

“Alt” MTB Handlebars Survey Results

As promised, here are the results of our “alt” and MTB handlebars survey. The bar width preference results were interesting. We were surprised to see that the most popular width was narrower than 750mm. The second most popular was 780-789mm, and the third was 800-809mm. Less than half of the respondents prefer bars over 780mm. As for backsweep preference, half of the respondents prefer bars with a backsweep between 9 and 20 degrees. 15-16 degrees was the most popular option, capturing 15% of the vote, oddly enough. And the second most popular was 9-10 degrees. Thanks to everyone for participating!

Garmin: Make us the right eTrex!

At first, we were excited to hear about the new Garmin eTrex Solar, but like everyone else, we realized its lack of base maps doesn’t make it very practical for bikepacking. Several readers shared their love for the Garmin eTrex 32x and 22x, and how a solar-powered version of those models would be a game changer. What does your ideal bikepacking GPS device look like? Let us know below.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

Three Days Bikepacking My Local Woods in Autumn

Mikkel from Backwoods Bikepacking published his latest video this week following a ride with his pal Sverre as they set out on an overnighter in Norway this autumn. Along the way, they ponder about local adventures, campfires, and calm while enjoying one of the last bikepacking trips of the season.

Ruby Coffee’s Jared Linzmeier on “Coffee People”

Wisconsin-based Ruby Coffee is one of our resident coffee geek Lucas’s favorite roasters in the country, and founder Jared Linzmeier is an avid bikepacker who recently completed the Tour Divide. He’s the latest guest on the Coffee People podcast, and the episode above shares his story of working his way through the coffee industry from diswasher on up to owner of a highly regarded brand. Plus, Jared has kindly offered an exclusive 15% discount to our readers. Through the end of the year, you can use code BIKEPACKING15 during checkout at RubyCoffeeRoasters.com. Lucas highly recommends their offerings from Kenya and Ethiopia.

Achill to Athens

Following friends Niall, Stephen, and Cormac on a transcontinental bikepacking trip from Ireland to Greece, Achill to Athens is a beautifully shot 11-minute video that showcases the incredible and diverse landscapes of a dozen European countries. Their 58-day, 5,500-kilometer ride raised €49,000 for Irish charities Pieta House and Bodywhys. Watch the video above.

The Wide-Tire Revolution in 6 Words by Jan Heine

Jan Heine of Rene Herse Cycles put together an interesting story about the “wide-tire revolution”, the history behind our obsession with low tire pressures, and the benefits of riding wide and supple rubber. Bike nerds will love this one.

“PANTS” Pennsylvania North to South

The latest video from Pennsylvania Dirtbags follows a group of friends on a four-day, 333-mile gravel ride across Pennsylvania in search of rugged terrain, whoopie pies, and good times. Watch the 45-minute feature above.

MASON Winter Solstice Social

Mason Cycles is putting on a competition to encourage folks to get outside this winter. Here’s how it works: ride anywhere on any terrain during the winter solstice week from December 17th to December 22nd with friends and share a photo on Instagram using the hashtag #masonsolstice. By participating, you’ll have a chance to win a MASON Sustain Sweatshirt, MASON Sustain T-Shirt, MASON MadeForMiles & Sustain Bottles, MASON Bar Tape, Tailfin Top Tube Pack, Albion Gift Musette, and two tickets to the Wild Cycles X MASON South Downs Way 2024. Learn more here.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

Across Andes

Across Andes is the first self-sufficient bikepacking race to cross the longest mountain range in the world: 1,100 kilometers over 7 days from Chile to Argentina. The grand depart takes off from the town of Melipeuco on Sunday morning, and there are currently 170 riders registered for live tracking. Follow their progress live here.

Hunt 1000

The Hunt 1000 is a bikepacking route that links Melbourne to Canberra and traverses some of Australia’s most beautiful high country. The route incorporates amazing campsites and historic alpine huts, provides a limited number of resupply points, and mixes in challenging hike-a-bike sections and as river/creek crossings. Riders will be aiming for a grand finish, rather than a grand depart, on Saturday, Dec 2nd in Canberra. The first riders are scheduled to take off this weekend. Follow them live here.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, a handful of posts from the Komoot Women’s Arizona Rally…

Further Reading

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

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