Campfire Cycling [OUTDOORS]
Bikes were meant to be loaded with camping gear.
What’s cool about Campfire Cycling?
It starts with one person – someone who fell so madly in love with bicycles and camping that they decide to build a life around both.
They move to Tucson, Arizona, start pedaling into the desert with a few friends, and slowly, something takes shape: weekend rides turn into gatherings, gatherings into a community, and the community into a shop and advocacy hub.
That’s the oversimplified (and slightly romanticized) genesis story of Campfire Cycling. A spark of joy that grew into a constellation of play in the Sonoran desert and beyond!
Today, Campfire Cycling a bikepacking-dedicated shop, a touring company, and a gathering space for people who believe that adventure can – and should – begin at your doorstep and end with dirt on your legs (and your face).
Why it matters?
Bikepacking may seem intimidating from the outside: gear-heavy, planning-intensive, route-specific, and hard on the body to the point of mild masochism.
The right saddle, the right tires, the right bags, the GPS device to guide you along the correct route to your campsite and water re-supply spots… it can get heady and overwhelming.
That’s why it’s such a relief to have organizations like Campfire Cycling. They make this modality of outdoors recreation approachable, helping beginners wade through the technical clutter and focus on what matters: the joy of moving through landscapes powered by your own legs.
I can’t overstate how awesome it is to have friendly shops – and people! – narrow down the choices for beginners who get to benefit immensely – and hopefully save money and headaches along the way – from their expertise and experience. Especially when navigating particular terrains like the desert, where local knowledge becomes essential and potentially life-saving.
When I went on my first bikepacking trip earlier this year, I probably wouldn’t have made it past the gear list without the guidance of another wonderful community, Color the Valley, whose friendliness mirrored exactly what Campfire Cycling represents.
These organizations, and the spaces they create and foster, are the connective tissue of the outdoor world. They’re not just shops or businesses; they’re learning hubs, storytelling circles, and repair stations for both bikes and self-confidence.
A broader reflection: slowness, land, and the social life of movement
There’s something quietly radical about bicycles right now.
In an age obsessed with speed and efficiency, pedaling through the desert feels like an act of escapism and rebellion.
Bikepacking slows time down to a more human tempo. You start to notice temperature gradients in the wind, the hum of rubber on gravel, the smell of creosote after a storm, the Gila woodpecker foraging and nesting in a luminous saguaro...
Moving in this way, you begin to saturate your life with presence and attention, and subtle, magical wonders slowly unravel before you. It’s not just transportation; it’s a delightful way of being in the world.
Campfire Cycling needs to sell you on this, of course, but they go above and beyond mercantile pettiness: they embody this philosophy.
By promoting self-propelled exploration, they bridge recreation and responsibility. Every trip they organize, every rider they outfit, adds to a growing culture of sustainable adventure- – one that sees conservation not as a policy agenda but as an everyday practice.
As their website puts it, *”We believe in adventure that deepens our connection to the world, not our footprint on it.”*
That’s a model worth amplifying: an outdoor business that sells gear, yes, but also shows the way of restraint; that organizes trips, but also nurtures local stewardship.
Because adventure doesn’t require escape; it requires attention. Every pedal stroke is a vote for a slower, saner way of inhabiting the world.
So here’s to more campfires, more conversations, and more people rediscovering the magic of getting somewhere the long way.
And if you haven’t tried bikepacking yet, I highly recommend it.
Learn More
Campfire Cycling didn’t invent bikepacking. You can learn more about that here if you’re curious.
There’s also this wonderful resource from Bikepacking Roots with routes in Arizona. You might still want to give that a read for a little bit of history, even if you’re not considering bikepacking, or doing so specifically in Arizona.
I really do think Campfire Cycling is awesome, and that we need more orgs and people like them, people like the aforementioned Color The Valley. It also serves as a powerful reminder of how cool organizations stem from cool people doing cool things, and gathering with others to evolve.
You can book a bikepacking tour/ride with them.
You can get a custom bike built, and get your bike repaired.
You can buy wonderfully-curated gear from them.
You can find a ton of information, and inspiration, on their blog.
And while you’re at it, check out small, kindred communities like Color the Valley – proof that the best adventures often start with friends helping friends find the courage to go.