This week’s Debrief features the world’s tiniest camp lantern, a new basketpacking rack, a fresh 26er hardtail, bikepacking gear tips from the road, the 2025 AZTR, and more. Find it all 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…

Botched Bikes Titanium Dragonfly

Made in Australia / $105 AUD at Botched Bikes

Botched Bikes Dragonfly is a nifty dual bottle cage mount that allows a full frame bag to be used alongside two standard bottle cages, offsetting the cages along the edges of the downtube. The Dragonfly is now available in a titanium version that weigh just 80 grams. As always, the Titanium Dragonfly is designed and manufactured in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia.

New Albion Primaloft Active Evolve Hoodie

Made in China / $210 at Albion Cycling

Included in Albion’s latest Zoa collection drop, the new Primaloft Active Evolve Hoodie is a highly breathable active fleece hoodie that can be used as an adaptable outer layer or as insulation in a layering system. It’s made from PrimaLoft Active Evolve fabric, which looks like an alternative to Polartec Alpha Direct, comes in seven sizes, and can stash inside its chest pocket.

Lezyne x Clik Valve

Made in Taiwan / $32+ at Lezyne

Lezyne is the latest brand to integrate the Clik Valve tech into their lineup of floor pumps, hand pumps, and other accessories. Clik Valve uses an entirely new tubeless valve and pump system that simply clicks together, rather than relying on levers and thread-on parts. Lezyne’s lineup includes two floor pumps, hand pumps, CO2 kits, valves and valve adapters, and chuck adapters for the pump you already own. Learn more about the Clik Valve system in our review.

Carrie Gere Supply Vest Restock

Made in Vietnam / €270 at Carrie Gere

Previously handmade in Amsterdam, Leanne from Carrie Gere found a manufacturer in Taiwan to produce the Supply Vest in order to keep up with demand. It’s made from Ultra 200X, can expand to hold up to 10L, is fully seam taped, and is packed full of pockets and straps for organization and easy access while riding. It’s currently only available in all black.

Tread Lite Micro LED Lantern

£11.99 at Tread Lite Gear

The new Tread Lite Micro LED Lantern is a tiny, 3 gram, portable lantern. It features a tiny CR-1220 battery-powered LED light, a Dyneema DCF pouch, and a magnet to turn the light on and off. There’s a hang version and stick-on version available, and they cost £11.99.

B-RAIL Mounting Rail

FREE at Maker World

B-RAIL is a free-to-download design on MakerWorld, tackles this with a modular rail that bolts to a bike’s standard bottle-cage mounts. From that single rail, riders can snap on a growing library of accessories, making it easy to reconfigure a bike on the fly. There’s a rear latch integrated into the rail, so clipping on and off accessories is quick and easy.

DOOM Bars Shimzilla Back in Stock

Made in Albuquerque, New Mexico / $50 at DOOM Bars

These extra wide shims can be used to mount the DOOM 22.2mm bars in 31.8mm stems, and they’re wide enough to mount 31.8mm accessories next to your stem. Shimzillas are available in two widths: 3.5” (89mm) wide with 3” (76mm) clampable width, or 4” (100mm) wide with 3.4” (86mm) of clampable width. Shimzillas are compatible with any 22.2mm bar that has a 3.5” (89mm) or wider stem clamp area. They will work with all of the DOOM production bars except the Curve Billed Thrasher and the Narrow Stem Clamp Lucky Riser. Our other production bars all have a 5” (127mm) stem clamp area.

Crust Dakar Frames

Made in USA / $2,850 at Crust Bikes

These Darren Larkin made Crust Dakar frames went on sale recently with a complete available at the Crust site as well. A 26er specific suspension-corrected hardtail isn’t something we imagined seeing in 2025, but here we are. Rumor has it these frames are the steel prototypes for an aluminum production hardtail said to be released sometime soon, but there is no confirmation on that information. Either way, it’s another unique idea from the minds at Crust.

Jubilee Manufacturing Cable Hanger Colors

Made in the USA / $60 at Jubilee MFG

Jubilee Manufacturing has released six new colors of their heart-shaped straddle cable hangers. Designed in Michigan (inspired by the Onza “Chill Pill”), machined of 6061 aluminum in the Kitsap Pennisula in Washington State by Uriel of Austere Manufacturing, and anodized by Velocity USA just west of here in Grand Rapids, MI, these limited run batches made about once every two years. Each purchase comes with two hearts and two 5mm set screws.

In Conversation

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

Chainstay Conundrums

Something Neil mentioned in his review of the REEB Sam’s Pants was the effect the shorter chainstay had on ride feel. Neil noted that the bike felt like it accelerated quickly due to its shorter 435mm chainstay length, but a few comments questioned that sensation. It got us thinking, given bikes are no perfect science and a lot of the sum of bike geo is down to an unscientific sense of “feel,” what are your thoughts on chainstay length? Does a shorter chainstay generally equate to something feels quick and snappy, or just loose and too responsive? What are your specific experiences and preferences with this specific part of the bike? Be sure to let us know in the Conversation below…

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

All the Bikepacking Gear We’ve Tried (& What We’ve Ditched)

In Chris and Hillary’s (aka Slow Spokes) latest video, they revisit their bikepacking gear list after two years of riding and adjusting. Watch the video to learn what items they’ve grown to rely on, and what they’ve ditched.

Reynolds Steps up to Support CSS-Built Wheels

Earlier this month, CSS Composites, the carbon fibre component manufacturer behind several USA-made rim products, notified its customers that it will be ceasing operations and not supporting any existing warranties. Effective immediately, Reynolds is stepping up to offer crash replacement pricing on complete Reynolds wheelsets to any rider who owns wheels manufactured by CSS/Forge+Bond or the brands that sourced rims from them.

Industry Nine Takes Over Revel Wheels Warranty Program

Revel Wheels was one of the brands using CSS-made rims, but without a factory, they weren’t sure how they’d support their lifetime warranty. Thankfully, they’ve partnered with Industry Nine to honor future warranties. Customers with damaged Revel carbon wheels originally manufactured by CSS or Forge+Bond can now choose between a rim-only replacement or a full rebuild with Industry 9. A rim-only replacement costs $175 USD, and a full rebuild costs $250 USD. Learn more here.

Bikepacking through Regional Victoria with the Botched Bikes Crew

“From sunrise coffee to riverside trails, join the Botched Bikes crew on an unforgettable bikepacking journey through Australia’s wild backroads. Days blend into nights filled with campfire laughter, the sound of shrieking birds, and the quiet rhythm of the ride. Through flats, fixes, and perfect flow, this crew captures what adventure is really about: connection, resilience, and the freedom to keep rolling.”

Where I Bike Series 1 Trailer: Hidden Gems & Local Legends

“Where I Bike” is a new series from Craig Lambard of 2nd Life Bikes in London. It’s a new weekly video series where Craig visits bike shops and meet bike people around the country. He has the first seven episodes ready to launch, and the first one kicks off next Wednesday (Oct 22nd). Watch the trailer above, and stay tuned for the first episode.

Aper Gear Tests the APEX1’s Stability and Reaches 130% Funding

The Aper Gear APEX1 bikepacking tent was released earlier this month, and with it came questions about its stability. Using the bike to prop up the tent, we had some questions about its stability in rough conditions. Alas, the folks at Aper Gear know this and have released a video about the tent’s stability in high winds, testing the strength of the supplied cordage themselves. It’s also worth noting that the young company reached its Kickstarter funding goal! They reached their funding goal within just 48 hours, and this week they are over 130% funded.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

2025 Arizona Trail Race

This year’s Arizona Trail Race took off yesterday morning near the Arizona/Mexico border. There are two routes this year: the Arizona Trail 300 is a 300-mile event that’s been held every April since 2006, and the 800-mile Arizona Trail 800 is the complete traverse from Mexico to Utah and is closer to 860 miles on account of some re-routes and tweaks. Head over to our Tracker page to follow along live.

Long Island Mountain Bike Festival

The Long Island Mountain Bike festival presented by CLIMB (Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists) is a gathering for all individuals passionate about off-road cycling. There are group rides, family-friendly activities, and there’s even a beginner bikepacking clinic. The festival starts tomorrow at Cathedral Pines County Park in Middle Island, New York. Learn more here.

Wish We Were Here

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

Nic Morales: Iberica Norte

I’ve been thinking a lot about my home nation, Spain, recently. With temperatures getting colder and colder here in North Carolina, a Spanish getaway seems all the more alluring. Warm temperatures, good food, and a mother tongue I don’t get enough time speaking are just a few of the things I think would be nice as the weather gets frosty and the days get shorter.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. This week, ultracyclists for Palestine and an interesting DIY front rack…

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