David Tang has deep roots in the Tucson cycling scene having grown up in Tucson and cut his cycling industry teeth working in many Tucson shops before becoming the owner of Ordinary Bike Shop. Most recently, before joining Campfire Cycling, David managed the cycling department at REI. Beyond a deep and broad focus on all things bicycle retail, David ran a production company for many years and is a lover of House music and all things audio/visual. David also is an avid traveller and recently took an amazing sounding trip to France and Spain.
David has been busy running our ecommerce warehouse here, making things hum. David is a craftsmen of the cardboard, a tetris player of the storage shelf and a maestro of the inventory software. David does all of these things with a keen interest and love for all of you adventure minded cyclists out there. Order delivery turnaround time and super helpful customer service have taken a major leap forward here at Campfire under David’s watch.
Turkey Day Delay – December. 04, 2025
For Thanksgiving this year, we hosted our families for the gathering, and I went out on a limb and ordered a bird from the internet that was hailed as one of the best that money could buy. Despite the high price, it seemed promising, with the order set a month ahead of time, and overnight delivery date scheduled for Tuesday prior to the Thursday holiday.
Well, It shipped on Monday as promised, Tuesday came and went, and tracking was saying that the pheasant carcass was stuck somewhere in Memphis, and would be delivered on Friday. The company was very understanding and apologetic, and issued a full refund for the order, and said that I could keep the order if it arrived in good condition. It did, and we enjoyed what I have to say was the finest expensive free turkey I’ve ever had!
Midnight Drip – November. 27, 2025
One of our recent customs was this sleeper Surly Midnight Special 105, intended as a road bike in rural Montana, isn’t too blingy at first glance, but has a lot to offer under the hood: Thompson stem/post, Brooks leather rider contact, gold Wolf Tooth Waveforms, Chris King BB and headset, a silent Onyx Vesper Rear hub, and a SON 28 powering a Sinewave Beacon 2. Truly a distinguished and bespoked post-apocalypse rig!
Doughnutpocalypse Now – November. 20, 2025
This past week, we have had more than our fill of sugary pastries in the shop, and this picture is only a portion of the continuous hole-y stream that ensued. Truly a hole new level of excess. Things got out of glaze fast.
Next Generation of Stoke – November. 14, 2025
Over the weekend, we had a visitor hand deliver the coolest and best postcard/thank you/momentos I’ve ever received in more than 2 decades of being in the bike business!
It wasn’t just that the sender/creator took the time to handcraft an awesome memento card, but the rider is truly in the next generation of bicycle trekkers, and to me, there is something very special about youth being adept travellers that take in culture and sights with a fresh lens. I’m really impressed with the amount of time and energy that was put into this, and I hope that a wonderful lifetime of adventures lies ahead!
Java Jappy Jalloween! – November. 07, 2025
Last week, after all of the trick-or-treaters had retreated to count their spoils, our porch was visited by a local herd of urban Javelina, and the annual celebration of Jack-o-lantern eating commenced!
I’m pretty sure that the pinnacle of the year for these metro peccaries is the wee hours of November 1st, when there are conveniently carved pumpkins laid out on doorsteps for easy enjoyment! Thanksgiving comes early for them every fall!
Halloween Sand Witches – October. 30, 2025
As fall closes in on us, and the last of the heirloom tomatoes have been ripped from our garden to make way for the winter crops, I have to take a moment to truly recognize how much I appreciate a good grinder.
As the world has now been bathed in pumpkin spice, I rejoice in the last few bites of summer’s bounty, and hope that our temps stay low enough to rid us of mosquitoes as fast as possible. Looking forward to having a good winter Giardinera (not to be confused or interchanged with Giardia).
Goldilocks Camping – October. 24, 2025
This past weekend we held our annual Catalina bikepacking trip, and the weather was absolutely perfect.
The days were warm but not hot, the night was cool but not cold, the ride was long but not too exhausting, and the campfire roasted the s’moreos just right. There was a wide array of folks and bikes (you can see bike checks on the Rigs and Riders blog post), and it was great to converse and enjoy the simple pleasures of an overall optimal camping experience. Thank you to everyone that came out and participated!
Hypsiglena _torquata – October. 17, 2025
I was taking out the compost the other morning, and came across a rather large but cute specimen of a little venomous friend (they are not dangerous to humans and super docile) hiding out by the backyard bin.
Pretty sure it was enjoying some bug snacks that the bin attracts, and decided it was a good place to wait out the heat of the day. The animal was released shortly after this photo op to engage in its pest control activities.
Headwinds and Singletrack– September. 28, 2025
This past weekend I made my annual pilgrimage to Northern AZ for the 29th Tour of the White Mountains, held every October by Epic Rides.
This year was 100% off-the-couch, and the 20-30 mph sustained winds made the 50 mile challenge even more challenging. Despite not coming close to my intended finish time, I still enjoyed getting to a higher elevation, and getting a nice, nice day in the saddle on some of my favorite trails. I also consumed 5 bananas, a new daily record for me!
Ziggy Zaggy – September. 22, 2025
While most associations with Tucson and the surrounding area are of saguaros and gila monsters, we do enjoy being the home of the US’s southernmost ski resort, and as the summer weather starts to break, the Oktoberfest held at Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley is a great way to welcome the cooler fall temps.
The family and I enjoyed a hike, some brats, and a few marzen beers in a setting that felt as Bavarian as possible for the Sonoran Desert. My son thoroughly enjoyed dancing the live Polka music. Prost to the Sky Islands!
Recline in the Pines – September. 16, 2025
With the Advanced Craters and Cones Part Deux this weekend, and Epic Rides’ Tour of the White Mountains next week, we’re really getting into the higher elevation mindset, ready to breathe in some cinder dust, as well as enjoy some tight shaded singletrack in the Ponderosa forests of Northern AZ. I’m stoked for cooler weather, and to take my child to his first MTB event, I have a feeling he’s going to dig it!
Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow – September. 10, 2025
At the beginning of the day, I was unpacking my lunch into the fridge, and Jake exclaimed that there was a bunny in the shop. I turned just in time to see it run into the bathroom, and quickly followed in pursuit. The ensuing cuteness was a pleasant way to start things off, and our rabbit friend was freed into the desert habitat across the street to enjoy its salad days.
Visiting Kona – September. 04, 2025
The beginning of the week I was invited by Kona to Bellingham, WA to preview some really exciting bikes, strengthen partnerships, and shred some unfamiliar dirt. I’ve always been enamored with this part of the world, and I’m extremely grateful and excited for the soulful two wheeled experiences of the past week.
Strong like Ox Beetle – August. 28, 2025
Even though our summer has had a bit of a disappointing amount of monsoon precipitation, there is still plenty of fauna that has taken advantage of the sporadic storms rolling through. This Ox Beetle showed up in the backyard over the weekend, lumbering around like a little 2″ Triceratops, and caught my interest as a slightly uncommon visitor. There’s a good chance it and its kin may be going after our garden, but still very cool to look at.
You Can’t Censor Banned Bikes – August. 22, 2025
This week we got to arbitrate the purveyance of a Zipp 2001, which despite its nomenclature was made illegal by the UCI for road racing in the beginning of the year 2000 (UCI banned all nontraditional frames constructed without a double triangle). This particular bike from the mid 90s also featured Zipp’s first production product, the Disc Wheel.
Although very heavy and flexy by today’s standards, it still has a cult following 3 decades later. It’s rare that we see a bike with 19mm sew-ups come through the shop, it’s still fun to reminisce about the times when we believed that razor thin tires were faster because they contacted less of your riding surface. Cameo appearance by Jo-Jo.
Gore Tex Vortex – August. 16, 2025
A few weeks ago I was able to get away for a weekend to Sedona, and was treated to an afternoon monsoon on the last day. It reminded me that it is a relatively short drive to get to one of my favorite riding environments, as well as the source of my favorite spring water. Cheers to beautiful nature!
New Bike Day!! – August. 10, 2025
A long while back (almost 2 years), before my son was born, I purchased a Otso Warakin Stainless frame with the intent of hanging some GRX 11spd components that I had on it, but as life goes, I never got around to actually being able to get it together.
Now, with autumn rapidly approaching, which 100% translates to bike season, I finally have it rolling. It’s been a while since I’ve had a personal New Bike Day, and selling off one of my other bikes last week, I didn’t even have to +1 my n! Really looking forward to getting this rig rolling on the trails and roads!
Hot Today. Hot Yesterday. Hot Again Tomorrow – August. 04, 2025
The past month or so, I have been awaking my mostly reluctantly family pre-dawn on Wednesdays to go up Tumamoc Hill (Cemamagi Du’ag), and now with the ushering of all-time daily and monthly high temps this week, every time we finish there is a new resolve to get up a little bit earlier next time to avoid the onslaught of solar heat by 7am. This is a picture from last week’s foray, and you can see Tucson beginning to swelter at 6:30.
Cheers to early morning strolls!
Shadows of the Past – July. 28, 2025
With Toby out of the shop on a well deserved family camping trip this past weekend, I happened to spend a little bit of time upstairs with the shop team. A rider that had just finished the Great Divide Mountain Bike Race stopped by in search of an extra belt for his Rohloff/Gates equipped Fargo, and a quick look at his drivetrain revealed the cause of his shredded belts- tooth wear of both sprocket and cog.
It takes quite a bit of distance to get these components to this point, and is truly a testament to their longevity and a feat to be proud of! A new set of all the worn components breathed new life into his rig, and he was back in the saddle with confidence in his gear!
The Need for SPD – July. 21, 2025
While the clipless vs flats pedal debate will probably never end, I am still preferential to the classic SPD. I know a lot of folks like the flats so they can ride in any shoe they choose, especially sandals during the hotter summer months. Well, despite the heckles from my colleagues/friends/family/pets, I choose to use my fashionable Shimano sandals when the tarmac and trails want to cook your feet. Necessity is the mother of invention.
Petricor Valhalla – July. 14, 2025
It finally happened! We received over an inch of much much needed rain, and the desert cooled down and immediately came to life! After more than 12 hours of decent showers, the sigh of relief was universal and almost audible, and the past 24 hours has seen billions of flying ants and termites take to the air, leaving their wings behind and providing meals for bats, birds, and lizards.
The Hot Dog Days of Summer – July. 07, 2025
The family and I hauled the dogs, the bikes, and ourselves up to cooler temps again for the holiday weekend, and the weather did not disappoint! We enjoyed some splendid gravel rides in the woods, and spent an afternoon jamming to live music at one of our favorite beer gardens, and Leo was able to free range dance on their wonderful lawn, while mom and dad enjoyed some adult beverages and Bavarian sausages on a blanket. A wonderful way to have some wholesome fun AND get some ride time in!