Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Two Bikes Chattanooga hosted the second edition of Bike Camp over the weekend, a community-focused event highlighting more than just bikes. Having covered the inaugural event, Nic returned for year two. Find his report from Bike Camp 2026 here…
If you look at my activity history at any point in the last six years, you’ll see a pattern. Almost every Saturday, I go outside. Be it an overnighter, a day ride, or a run, it’s a weekly ritual I hold dear. A long, often hard day alone in a remote area. It helps me decompress, get back to baseline, and glean meaningful perspective away from the bustle of everyday life.
When I hopped in my buddy Joe’s truck to head to Chattanooga on Friday morning, I wasn’t exactly stoked. Knowing I’d be missing out on my weekly alone time puts me in a mood, and understanding I would have to be social didn’t help. As I get older, it takes more to recharge my social battery. Though I deeply fear becoming an old, isolated hermit, something about my natural disposition has me careening toward that end.
I attended the inaugural Bike Camp last year after Mitchell Connell reached out about a community-first bike event. You can check out the in-depth article on the 2025 edition linked below, but in essence, Bike Camp is a gathering. Like-minded people who enjoy bikes come together to celebrate the kind of life two wheels enable. More than just a ride or bike-centric event, Bike Camp elevates the inherent joy of what it is to move more slowly. To be more present. To try to know the person next to you.
Like the year before, Bike Camp 2026 was filled with a variety of interesting activities and workshops. From bag vendors to guides on how to make your own broom and be a better advocate for pedestrian infrastructure, Bike Camp not only strays away from performance but also from bike-specific activities altogether. Though they play a central role in connecting most of those in attendance, bikes are the quiet, understated core idea.
As I wandered around the vendor market on a sunny Saturday afternoon, I spoke to a variety of people. Some new, some old, some perforating the barrier between digital acquaintance and real, live person. Two-dimensional internet profiles became flesh and blood. Direct messages became free-flowing conversations. The digital facsimile of human connection grew from electrical currents to smiles, handshakes, and hugs. The idyllic preserve at Reflection Riding played host to the thing I think we all yearn for but have so little time and ability to nurture in today’s fast-paced world.
Folks like the Kepkes made the trip from Black Mountain to sell their stained-glass pieces and enjoy the spring weather. I got to spend some time with Cameron Muilenburg and his family, a videographer responsible for films like A Couple Screws Loose. Will Moss, owner of Farther Bag Co., set up his tent next to mine, and each day we told stupid jokes and giggled like school children before falling asleep. His now-punctured Big Agnes sleeping pad is one of the loudest I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to throughout the night. Every time I see Charles and Adeline from Fine Bikes, I learn more about both their operation and the inner workings of their relationship. This year’s event was no different. These are just a few of the people I made time and space for during the brief 72 hours of Bike Camp, and they exemplify what the event is all about.
Of course, there are bicycles. I ran into Zach Small of Amigo Frameworks, who had his custom Bug Out travel bike on display. In light of the news about Paragon Machine Works closing, I couldn’t help but ask about how it has affected his business. The bike you see here is a sterling example of that. Though it uses some leftover bits from Paragon, Zach has a CNC machine he used to make its travel-ready seatpost clamp. A slightly tweaked, flat-bar-oriented version of the Bug Out model he’s best known for, it was an interesting look at how someone like Zach has already adapted to an industry without Paragon.
Aside from builders and bike shows, a million things are going on at Bike Camp. A salamander walk, a springs ride, a rotation of river voyages via canoe—the options are endless. They even had a special guest this year, Ronnie Romance, and he gave a talk on health and nutrition in cycling. To no avail, I urged him to speak about one of his lesser-known products, the Woolly Mammoth bars, during Friday’s pre-ride. I thought the world needed to know about what was potentially the first-ever aphrodisiac health food bar. Nevertheless.
While the happenings of a bustling spring event seem antithetical to the experiences I usually fill my weekend with, I soon felt stupid about the perspective I had on the drive over. Though moments of quiet are important, there is nothing more precious than meaningful time spent getting to know one another. Escaping the endlessly grim digital context we are constantly surrounded by is undoubtedly a privilege, but one we’d be foolish to deny ourselves—especially in service of making our communities better places. For all that Bike Camp advertises, the most valuable element I took away from the 2026 edition is the event’s capacity to allow us the excuse to gather. To be present. And to know one another a little better. Even if it’s just for a weekend.
For more Bike Camp coverage, check out my write-up on last year’s event and the Bikes of Bike Camp.
Further Reading
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