Wow, another year down and already a week into 2026! As we wrap up 2025 and look ahead to the New Year, we want to thank everyone who’s supported Campfire this year, whether it be spending your hard-earned dollars, joining us for a ride, or stopping by to say hi at an event. It means a lot to us, and we’re grateful to be part of making your bike dreams happen!
My First Campfire Ride
My first trip with Campfire was way back in November 2021, the wonderful loop through Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge that has now become a shop staple. You make fast friends on these kinds of rides, and I remember the excitement at having found a crew after the long months of the pandemic made it feel like community would never happen again. (Side note: the famous S’moreo was born on this trip.) Thinking back to that first ride, it’s inspiring to see how the shop and our community has grown and evolved over the last four years.
Looking back on 2025, we hosted and participated in dozens of events around Tucson and across Southern Arizona. Breakfast by Bike continues to draw a great turnout, where Toby’s pancake art is ever-evolving, and we keep exploring little nooks and crannies of the city for coffee and breakfast with our community.
The Adventure Storytelling Series was back for its third year in May with stories from individuals and organizations on the importance of trails in Southern Arizona. Thanks to Borderlands for allowing us to host so many community events in your space! We’re lucky to now count Elliot as part of the Campfire crew, which should make planning for future series a bit easier.
Tallying them up now, our overnighter offerings grew to a total of seven this year, with several new-to-us routes taking us from Kentucky Camp, to Catalina State Park, further north on the Black Canyon Trail, and a “part two” on the Craters and Cones in Flagstaff. We even branched out for our Colossal Cave overnighter and offered route options for beginner, intermediate, and advanced riders. Two staples, the Buenos Aires overnighter and our Swift Summer Campout, rounded out the year.
Our calendar is already filling up for 2026, with dates posted for Breakfast by Bike through June, and several overnighters already in the works. Check them out here!
More news!
- Still Out Riding: Cass Gilbert’s original blog, “While Out Riding,” catalyzed my interest in bike touring back way back in 2013. In the last year, I’ve enjoyed reading his version 2.0 of the long-lost, long-form bike blog. Lots of good Oaxaca-specific route info for those interested in taking a flight south.
- The Swag Family World Ride: After nearly two years on the road, with 3 kiddos in-tow, the Swag Family will be wrapping up their ‘round the world in tour in the coming weeks. It’s been inspiring to see how they’ve adapted to world travel in this way with a young, growing family.
- Wolftooth Waveform in Tropical Shirt: Though they’re currently sold out, Katie and I (and many folks we know) love this pedal. This colorway has a lot going on but could be the perfect addition to liven up your bike… if they come back around.
- Garmin Ineach Mini 3: Given how good phones have become with satellite messaging, it may be harder and harder to justify the cost of a dedicated SOS device these days. The Mini 3 adds some features that seem to try to bring it up to par with a phone, namely a touchscreen, voice and photo messaging, and improved battery life while tracking.
- Scopa Bikepacking Cardgame: Need I say more? You can back version 2.0 of the game on Ulele, with a ~$30 donation securing you a deck of cards, English translation included.
- Utah Trail Network: A proposed (paved) trail system of 3,100 miles across the state would link major recreation areas and be within reach of 95% of the population.
- Mind Mapping Part 3: The final installment of a three-part series from Boru’s 2.5 year ride around the world.
- The Sonoran Ultra-Endurance Ride: Shameless plug. Back for its second year, you can now choose from two distances, both of which start and end right here in Tucson. This is a free event with a great community vibe. As of this posting, roughly 20 spots remain, and registration closes February 22nd.
Leaving you with a scene from the Cape Loop in Baja California Sur. Some flights can get you there in 5-6 hours from Tucson, so you could be pedaling by late afternoon and enjoying tacos for dinner.
