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This week’s Debrief comes a little early as we clear the deck for the holidays. Find details on freshly painted Santa Cruz Chameleons, new German-made double ratchet hubs, how the bike media reacts to mean comments, and more here…
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…
2024 Santa Cruz Chameleon
Made in Taiwan / $2,599+ at Santa Cruz Bicycles
The 2024 Santa Cruz Chameleon hasn’t received any geometry or spec updates since Logan reviewed it, but there are two fresh paint schemes to choose from, and they’ve slimmed down the number of builds from three levels with your choice of 29″ or mixed 27.5″/29″ to just two builds with 29″ wheels. For 2024, there are two build levels to choose in your choice of Matte Blackout or Matte Flamingo Pink, although the latter doesn’t appear to be available just yet. We’re also not exactly sure on the pricing yet, so your best bet is reach out to your local dealer to learn more.
Qvist Double Ratchet Hubs and Wheels Pre-Order
Made in Germany / €168-798 at Qvist
Germany-based component manufacturer Qvist shared their patent-pending Double Ratchet System at Eurobike last year, but they just recently announced that their hubs are available to purchase. The Double Ratchet System relies on a two-sided ratchet engagement ring in the middle alongside inner and outer ratchet rings, each with 60 teeth for a total of 120 points of engagement and an engagement angle of just 3°. Qvist has front and rear hubs available to purchase, in both boost and non-boost spacing, 28 or 32 spokes, and your choice of a HG, Micro Spline, or XD free hub. Pre-orders for hubs and complete wheels are open now with an expected delivery of February 2024.
Gemini Rigel Carbon Chainring
Made in Spain / €122 at Gemini
After three years of development, Gemini in Barcelona has announced their first chainring. The Gemini Rigel is made from a fusion of forged carbon and an internal metal core, promises to minimize chain noise, and according to Gemini, offers “unparalleled wear resistance for a carbon fiber chainring.” The chainring comes in 32T, 34T, and 36T sizes, with five popular crankset interfaces: SRAM 3 bolts DM, Sram 8 bolts DM, Shimano DM, RaceFace/Easton DM, and Cannondale Hollowgram DM. It pairs up with Shimano and SRAM 11- and 12-speed chains and is said to be the lightest direct mount chainring available, with the 30T SRAM 3-bolt ring weighing just 39 grams.
In Conversation
Exchanges and ideas that caught our attention in the site’s conversation section…
Tell us about your Good Night 2023 Plans
It’s been fun to watch folks make the end of the year Good Night campout a regular tradition. Over the last couple of weeks we’ve seen chatter on social media and elsewhere with local bike shops, groups of friends, and individuals making plans and gearing up for their Good Night 2023 ride. What are your plans? Let us know in the conversation below.
Around the Community
News from around the bikepacking world…
1,200 miles of the Tour Divide
Our pal Justin McKinley‘s latest video follows his experience at this year’s edition of the Tour Divide, during which he rode from Banff back home to Colorado. “After five years of telling myself that ‘next year’ was going to be the year, I lined up in Banff I finally made it a reality in 2023. While I didn’t make it all the way to Antelope Wells, I had an incredible experience and learned so much about myself,” he said. Watch his 15-minute video above.
Brooks: The Book for Cyclists
Brooks just released their 2023 edition of The Book for Cyclists, a long-winded history of everything Brooks, including product details and anecdotes that aim to shine a light on the brand. “Beautiful as an object in its own right, and with pages at the back reserved for the rider’s own sketches, thoughts and musings, it makes a fine adornment to the home in the same way a Brooks saddle crowns a bicycle.” You can read the book for free online here.
MTB Creators React to Mean Comments
We field a lot of “fun” comments here on the site and in our various social media platforms. Most of the time, the best course of action is to make light of them, brush it off, and keep doing what we do. In their latest video, the crew from Mahalo My Dude put together a montage of some of the meanest comments from a collection of mountain bike content creators. We feel their pain (and laughter).
Calling all Event Organizers
We’ve been busy updating our events calendar for 2024, but we know we’re missing some. If you put on any type of off-road multi-day event, whether it’s a group ride or race, or know of any clinics, festivals, or get togethers that likeminded folks would be excited to know about, you can submit it here.
James Mark Hayden on The Adventure Podcast
Episode 166 of The Adventure Podcast features ultra-endurance cyclist James Mark Hayden. Host Matt Pycroft and James chat about more than just bikes, including the transition to fatherhood, mental health, autism, personal ethics, and living a life on your own terms. Listen to it above.
Bikepacking Alone in Arctic Norway
The latest video from Tom Wall of Cycling366 documents his two-day bikepacking trip around the snowy fjords of Norway to witness the Northern Lights in their full glory. See it above.
Wish We Were Here
Shedding a little light on a route one of us is dreaming about riding at the moment…
Logan Watts: The Lanna Kingdom
Jeez, it’s been over 10 years since I’ve been to Southeast Asia. Sam and Nu’s Lanna Kingdom route in Thailand has had me dreaming of going back. Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the cards for this year, but I’m already dreaming about a trip through Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand for 2024. Plus, the burgeoning bikepacking scene in Northern Thailand has more in store. Stay tuned.
Weekly Social
Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, Dean Liebau’s stunning illustration of Yeshe’s Oaxaca rig that we featured here on the site, plus a great caption. For those unaware, Dean is the artist who created the illustrations for our revamped Bikepacking 101 Handbook…
Further Reading
Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...
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