We’ve had a Big Agnes mega family tent for car camping for many years now, and it’s always been a joy to set up and use. But when we want to get to the campsite by bike, we’re really wanting their new Fly Creek HV2 Platinum. The entire thing packs down into a bag that’ll fit on the bike’s fork (as shown) and weighs just 737g (1lb 10oz). The HV part means “high volume, giving you enough headroom to sit up normally and move around a bit. It keeps the weight down by relying on stakes to secure one corner, and a T-shaped two-pole setup handles the rest. Add a Fast Fly for more weather protection and a few extra grams. More pics of this and other lightweight gear for bikepacking and general fun below…
The Chair Zero weighs just 454g (1lb) setup, and adds just 46g more for its case, and it folds down small enough to attach to the other leg of your fork. At this weight, there’s not a lot of excuses for not bringing it along on shorter rides with lots of downtime planned. Retail is $119.95. Tent is $549.95, or downsize to the HV1 for $499.95.
Perhaps the most clever thing they showed was the Pumphouse Ultra. Doubling as a stuff sack, dry bag, and water carrier/shower, it shapes its valve to fit the nozzle on inflatable sleeping pads. Floof it full of air, roll the top closed, then squeeze it into the pad to inflate it way quicker and easier than huffing and puffing. Brilliant.
Arrowhere showed off there hi-vis and standard cycling jerseys, jackets, vests and bag covers. All of them put a giant reflective arrow on the back, giving drivers a gentle reminder to move a little further to the left and give us room when passing.
We spotted Timber Mountain Bike Bells at the fall trade shows with their original bolt-on model on the left. It uses a push down lever to silence the bell during normal riding, then flick it up when you need it to bounce and boing to get other trail users’ attention. Now, they’ve added a quick release strap version to make it easier to move it from bike to bike.
The Union (men’s) and Parker (women’s) urban helmets from Bern use a liquid foam that’s poured into the mold rather than expanded like EPS, so there’s less waste, allowing for a thinner shell with a lower profile.
It has 17 vents, a BOA dial closure with replaceable brow pad and visor included. Retail is $89.99, or $109.99 with MIPS. PDW makes a tail light that snaps onto the back of it, too.
Drinktanks was showing off their vacuum insulated stainless steel mini-keg growlers. Add the Keg Cap and you can pressurize the system and use the all-too-familiar hose to fill your cups. And if you’re mixing up something other than beer, their tumblers have ounce markers on the inside, making it easy to measure!
Earlier this year, Tasco MTB launched their Double Digits collection of matched socks and gloves, and now they’ve added the Stars and Stripes to the mix. Called Indivisible, it’s available now for preorder for $46, you choose the sock and glove size separately to ensure a good fit at both ends.
