Friday Debrief: Fresh Bags, International Women’s Day, Cargo Bikepacking, 26″ Disc Tabs, 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…

MEC Provincial Bikepacking Collection

Made in Vietnam / $49-$149 CAD at MEC

Mountain Equipment Company (MEC) in Canada just released a new lineup of bikepacking bags as part of their longstanding Provincial series. The range includes a top tube bag, half frame bag, handlebar roll, saddle bag, and insulated handlebar bag. The bags are made from a rugged waterproof TPU material with welded seams, water-resistant zippers, and reflective detailing. MEC’s Provincial Bikepacking Collection is available at all MEC retail locations across Canada and online.

SimWorks Standalone Polished Rims

Made in USA / $169 at Sim.Works

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SimWorks is expanding the Standalone range to include a classic polished version that’s available in all three sizes: 26″, 27.5″, and 29″. SimWorks had the polished rims on display at the inaugural MADE bike show in Portland last year, set up on their updated Doppo “Ronin” (picured above/right), but they managed to sneak under most folks’ radars. They have a 25mm internal width that’s optimized for 45mm-65mm (1.8″-2.5″) wide tires and are available in both machined and non-machined sidewalls, priced at $179 and $169, respectively.

Updated Framework Designs Handlebar Snack Pack

Made in Australia / $159 AUD at Framework Designs

Handmade by Tia in Melbourne, the Handlebar Snack Pack from Framework Designs is a dual-duty handlebar/shoulder bag that looks perfect for running errands around town and day rides. It has a weather-resistant zipper to access the main compartment on the bike, internal stretchy pockets, a roll-top main closure with your choice of hardware, several handlebar attachment points, and includes a new detachable shoulder strap + messenger strap attachment for comfortable off bike carrying. Plus, Tia just launched a lovely new accessory bag called the Handspan Pouch, and first-time customers can get one for free with any other bag purchase.

Pegoretti Duende Rock & Roll

Made in Italy / Price varies at Pegoretti

Dario Pegoretti’s latest addition to the Duende platform is the Duende Rock & Roll, which furthers its all-terrain chops of the CX version with custom Columbus XCR stainless steel tubing, disc brakes, 40mm tire clearance, and a funky new carbon fiber “Piron” fork. There’s no price listed given its semi-custom nature, but you can count on it being expensive.

20% off Dyed in the Wool for International Women’s Day

Made in Poland / $50+ at Dyed in the Wool

Dyed in the Wool is celebrating International Women’s Day by offering 20% off everything they offer from today until March 10th. Simply use the code “GIRLSRULETHEWORLD” on their website for the discount. They are also running a little social media contest encouraging women to post pictures and use the hashtag #girlsruletheworld for a chance to win a prize. More from DITW below:

“Being a female-fronted company, we feel there is a need to highlight how awesome we all are and how many women there are in the cycling industry doing some seriously cool stuff alongside with being mums, wifes, running businesses, being athletes, cyclists, multitasking everyday and challenging the world on daily basis! As we never go very personal with our brand, we felt on this occasion a selection of our personal pictures will encourage other women to tag pictures of themselves being awesome with #girlsruletheworld! Wether it’s you just getting on with your daily duties, cycling, hiking or whatever else makes you happy, let’s shout how really rad we all are. We will select a couple of pictures with the aforementioned tag for a lil gift!”

Chrome Holman Collection

Made in Taiwan / $35+ at Chrome Industries

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The new Chrome Holman Collection consists of a half frame bag, an urban pannier, a commuter-style handlebar bag, and a simple top tube bag. The Holman Frame Bag comes in two sizes, has foam padding, and features removable/adjustable velcro straps to hold it in place. The Holman Pannier has a roll-top closure, 15-20L capacity, and includes a shoulder strap for off-bike use. The Holman Handlebar Bag is a 3L zippered bag with an exterior velcro pocket and adjustable straps. The Holman Top Tube Bag has a zippered main compartment and two smaller exterior pockets on each side. The entire lineup is made from recycled materials and is weather-resistant.

New Randi Jo Fab Bartender Plus Colors

Made in USA / $65 at Randi Jo Fabrications

Oregon-based bag makers and full-time sweethearts Randi Jo Fabrications just added four fun new color options to their Bartender Plus lineup. From left to right: Bonny Doon, Cub Scout, Fireweed and Safety Camo. The Bartender Plus is one of our favorite stem bags thanks to a long-lasting waxed canvas construction, a handy little drawstring pocket on the outside, and foam insulation to help it keep its shape.

Brooks C17 Carved in Three New Colors

Made in Italy / $140 at Brooks England

The saddle experts at Brooks just released four fresh color options for their popular Cambium C17 Carved saddle: Octane, Brown, Orange, and Mud Green. The Cambium saddle is made from a unique flexible natural rubber upper and the carved version has a large cutout that makes the saddle more flexible and for some people, more comfortable. All four colors are available now through their online store.

Zpacks Ultralight Trowel

Made in TBD / $14.95 at Zpacks

The new Zpacks Ultralight Trowel weighs just 23 grams, has small teeth on the leading edge to make digging your cathole easier, there are indentations on the grip, and it’s backed by Zpacks’ two-year limited warranty. It’s only 6.75″ tall and 2.75″ wide, so there’s no excuse not to carry a proper trowel while bikepacking.

In Conversation

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

Tailfin on the Move

Since its Kickstarter launch in 2016, Tailfin has taken the bike industry—or more specifically, the bikepacking industry—by storm. Their AeroPack seatpack replacement is one of the most popular rack/bag systems in our race rig roundups, and it seems like every few months they release a new take on a product that ends up being a home run. Yesterday’s release of the Tailfin Packing Cubes stirred up some discussion about over-engineered accessories and the price of buying into the Tailfin ecosystem. Is it worth the hype? We’d love to hear from current Tailfin owners and folks who still aren’t in the discussion below.

Around the Community

News from around the bikepacking world…

Disc Tabs on Old Steel 26″ MTBs

Matias Stridsland of Stridsland is curating a list of framebuilders all over the world who are open to spending a bit of their time adding disc tabs to old steel 26ers or other modifications. He’s thinking it could eventually turn into a useful directory for folks looking to bring new life to an old frame. Are you a framebuilder, or do you know someone who would be into this? Head over to his Instagram post and leave a comment.

Joachim Rosenlund #FamilyOmniumBikepacking (BroomWagon Podcast)

Hosted by Stefano Nucera, the BroomWagon Podcast started with the aspiration of being inclusive and discussing a little of everything by talking about cycling. Episode two of their seventh season features BIKEPACKING.com and Bikepacking Journal contributor Joachim Rosenlund and the story of his two-month family cargo bikepacking trip in Norway.

Restrap Launches Australian Webstore

As of today, Restrap is thrilled to announce the debut of its dedicated Australian webstore, tailored to meet the needs of adventurers Down Under. Australia’s vibrant cycling scene has long been a hub of innovation and passion worldwide. This move not only demonstrates our commitment to serving Australian riders but also acknowledges the profound influence Australia has on the global cycling community, and our growing presence in the market. Visit the Australian shop here.

Will TREK Survive Total Chaos?

Earlier this week, an internal memo from TREK was leaked to Bicycle Retailer and Industry News announcing some big changes in response to low sales and high inventory. Specifically, Trek Bicycle president John Burke mentions 10% spending cuts and 40% fewer SKUs in 2026. Andy Quandt of the BikeFarmer YouTube channel digs into the story in his latest video.

Events Starting Soon

What to watch this weekend and bikepacking events starting soon…

Cloudride Prologue 2024

The intention of Australia’s Cloudride Prologue is to provide an entry level for first-time bikepacking riders to test gear, navigation, and themselves over two or three days and gain an experience of the terrain and fatigue levels that they will encounter on the full 1,000-kilometer Monaro Cloudride. There are over 50 riders registered for the grand depart, which takes off from Canberra this morning, and you can follow their progress live here.

Weekly Social

Some things we found around the ‘gram and elsewhere. Mixing things up this week, a handful of random posts from Dust to Digital, one of Lucas’s favorite Instagram accounts…

Further Reading

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

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