Bike Camp 2025 – BIKEPACKING.com

The valley west of Lookout Mountain was idyllic. On a grassy patch beneath the shaded side of the mountainous, green outcropping, tents, trucks, and people of all walks of life gathered. Bikes almost seemed an afterthought. As we listened to talks on urbanism and woodworking, sipping non-alcoholic beverages, cooled by the breeze, I wondered if I’d died and gone to heaven. Heck, Lael Wilcox was about five feet in front of me. Surely, I was at least dreaming.

I was at Bike Camp, the first of what hopes to be an annual event hosted by Two Bikes Chattanooga. Though this was the first year for Bike Camp, it certainly wasn’t the first iteration. Initially incepted through their sister shop, Two Bikes Knoxville, the Southern Appalachian Bike Swap (SABS) had a similar but not altogether parallel purpose. Where SABS functioned primarily as a fundraiser for the non-profit bike shop, Bike Camp was a further step down the road. For Two Bikes Chattanooga, it wasn’t just about keeping the ship afloat—it was about sailing to new, unfounded waters. To places ripe for meaningful community and connection.

Founded by Mitchell Connell and Matthew Zingg in 2020, Two Bikes Knoxville is a simple concept and a continuation of the work the two bike-crazed individuals did with Trek some years earlier. DreamBikes, a largely defunct program by Trek, was the company’s effort to give back to the community. Through scratch-and-dent products, refurbishment, and providing bikes to underprivileged communities, DreamBikes had some “unprecedented” success in downtown Knoxville before ultimately shuttering in 2020. And thus, Two Bikes was born.

Operating as a 501(c)(3), Two Bikes has a relatively simple concept. For every bike they sell, they give one away. Primarily funded by government grants, the bike shop element remains a focal point for the non-profit. Through bikes and parts donated to the shop and the know-how of the full-time staff, Two Bikes sells a variety of affordable commuters and small offerings from brands like Crust. It’s an intricate puzzle, but one they navigate quite well.

After seeing the success of their concept in Knoxville, Mitchell Connell moved and set up Two Bikes Chattanooga. Though the shops share the same focus, energy, and higher-ups, they are two distinct non-profits. Mitchell said this was done to ensure that the financial donors and grants put into either shop remain truly local. “I mean, through some creative accounting, you could tell a donor their money was staying in their city. But I didn’t want to lie, and I wanted to keep some meaningful separation between the two so they could succeed independently.” Mitchell now lives in Chattanooga full time and operates the shop with Derek Wilson, their shop manager. Speaking to Derek about his move to Chattanooga to take part in the project, he said, “It’s the best shop I’ve ever worked for. After my last stint, I swore off working in bike shops. I’d decided to do something else. But, when I got to know Mitchell and what they were doing here, I was excited to participate.”

Derek and Mitchell have spent nearly a decade in and around bike shops, so their experience is complex, varied, and wide-ranging. Derek emphasized the difference with Two Bikes, “I love mountain biking and really all kinds of riding. But, honestly, some expensive, new mountain bike or part is the last thing I want to work on or talk about. I want to talk to someone about their commuter. About their first touring bike. Through Two Bikes, we’ve been able to introduce bikes to a lot of people who might not have otherwise ever had the chance. That’s the bit I get stoked on.”

Spending some time in their shop both before and after Bike Camp, I could tell they weren’t just paying lip service to the often amorphous idea of “community.” Through the nature of their sub-$1,000, sometimes sub-$500 bikes, community stands, and honest approach, Two Bikes Chattanooga has become a third space. A place where, as I chatted with Derek and some customers, regulars hung out doing kickflips in the shop. A new father came in, having stripped the bolts on his vintage Campagnolo cranks and plopped down onto the community stand to rectify what he could—a stark contrast to the sterile, often intentionally extractive layout of traditional bike shops. Two Bikes isn’t there to sell you the new APEX AXS system. I don’t think they even have that in stock. They are there to introduce all people across the socio-economic spectrum to the power that bikes hold as tools for community.

With that basis in a different kind of purpose, Mitchell sought to iterate on their fundraising effort in Knoxville. Where SABS had done well to raise money for the shop, Mitchell didn’t want Two Bikes Chattanooga to repeat the bike-specific, fundraiser-centric idea. He wanted Bike Camp to operate as a gathering for like-minded people in the South and beyond. Bikes were simply the quiet through line. As I listened to Jon Jon Wesolowski’s talk on “Good Vandalism,” a practice in anarchist calisthenics that spoke to how concerned citizens could manipulate their city’s infrastructure response teams into creating safer, more equitable roadways, it was clear this went far beyond just bikes.

To imagine that I could encapsulate everything that occurred across Bike Camp’s jam-packed two-day schedule is to assume I’m capable of teleportation. Despite my best efforts, I am not. Nevertheless, from what I experienced, I could tell Bike Camp was rife with the kind of connection the South was missing. It wasn’t an event with a “fishhook” of sorts—a tantalizing big name or product set to draw in the kinds of people who ambulate the performanced-focused end of the industry. It was a gathering of people who want to see a better bike industry, better cities, and a better world. It’s a lofty idea, but one that appeared at least somewhat realized at the various activities at the dream-like campground in the heart of Chattanooga.

Of course, no bike event would be complete without a showing of products and people. Yet, in true Bike Camp fashion, most, if not all, of those with “vendor tents” were local. Be it frame builders, a coffee shop, or bag makers, the congregation of Southerners on display was heartening. Not just because their products were exceptional and a reflection of themselves and their skills, but also because the South often presents as a difficult place for cyclists. It is beautiful, distinct, varied, and yet consistently overlooked for the more privileged, accessible parts of this country. And it’s a sentiment that strikes close to home for me. I started sharing my exploits via bike because of the positives it has brought into my life. I see what cycling has done for the West Coast, Colorado, and even Emporia, Kansas. I believe the often misunderstood and denigrated people in my corner of the country deserve to enjoy the same advantages. The beauty and joy in truly experiencing the place in which you live. The sustainable economic effect bikes have on any place they root themselves in. The South and its most disenfranchised occupants have long suffered from a backward and elitist view that looks down upon them. Two Bikes Chattanooga and its efforts at Bike Camp are looking to change that in their own small way.

Fine Bikes

Run by Charles Thompson and Adaline Brinkley, Fine Bicycles is a small custom framebuilder out of Raleigh, North Carolina. As a bike mechanic and racer of 10 years, Charles’ experiences across the spectrum of bikes have informed what appears to be a genuine talent in creating beautiful bespoke frames and builds. Though he still daylights at Oak City Cycles, Charles’ talents have recently drawn many new eyes. His partner Adaline showed me her cross-racing bike, one of the first frames he ever produced as an official builder of Fine.

Farther Bag Co

Will Moss of Farther Bag Co. has quietly been making waves with his subtle yet sleek bag designs for a few years. As a sole maker with a full-time job, it’s hard for Will to constantly be pumping out new products, but, much like his carefully curated Therabouts Crust Bombora, Will’s sense of style and direction is dialed. Look out for some further insights on his newly revamped bar bag soon.

Best in Show

True to the Two Bikes Chattanooga ethos, a panel of judges selected three bikes from a series of entrants. Though no criteria were formally sent out, bikes that occupied the “well-loved” nature, consistent with the rigs you might find at the shop, were awarded first, second, and third place trophies. A $100,000 grand prize split among the winners is still forthcoming.

Lael’s Big Ride

Exclusive to Bike Camp was Rue Kaladyte and Lael Wilcox’s screening of their new around-the-world film. Set to drop this May on SRAM’s YouTube channel, the film was a beautifully shot, hour-and-a-half-long look at Lael’s record-breaking ride around the world. Though Rue is still honing the final cut, the film presents an amazing, in-depth journey through her partner Lael’s most significant accomplishment. Lael also stuck around throughout the weekend to hang out, relax, and go on a few group rides.

After a day of vendors, nature walks, canoe rides, bike showings, talks, a massive dinner, and the movie screening, the proceeding morning centered around the through-line that brought us all together. With an advanced mountain bike ride hosted by Matt Schweiker, a WTFNB hosted by my friend and roommate Ana Fajardo, and a ride to a nearby spring, everyone collected themselves as best they could. Endeavoring on whatever ride tickled their fancy, we all set off on our own journeys and enjoyed what can only be described as truly perfect weather.

Taking a peek at the city on a vertical cruise of my own, we returned to the campground to join in the final event of the weekend, Lael Wilcox’s big ol’ group ride. A chill jaunt into town to a local coffee shop that had supplied us with caffeine upon arrival on Saturday, Velo Coffee, the 60-strong group ride was nothing short of fantastic. I don’t just say that because I got to ride next to and with Lael Wilcox but because the “vibe” was truly indicative of the weekend.

Many events often set out lofty goals and ideas. Some authentic, some simply imitating the parlance of whatever they think is going to net them the greatest number of attendees. But after spending some time with Mitchell and the rest of the people involved with Two Bikes Chattanooga, I can tell the core idea is authentic. Balancing the equation of economic feasibility and community service is, in itself, an almost impossible goal. For all the waxing and waning of the bike industry, recent conversations have made me realize the accepted truth often told of bikes today. The industry is performance-centric because that’s where the money tends to be. People who have the greatest amount of disposable income are interested and engage most consistently with the fast-paced, easy extractability of a clear, quantifiable idea: going faster. Conquering. Achieving.

But, as we sail toward murkier waters, events like Bike Camp make me think about concepts and ideas that supersede your typical business plans. Movements that can’t be cleanly quantified and packaged, and sit beyond the logic of KPIs and ROI. Sentiments that have and will ultimately outlive the boom and bust cycles our capitalistically minded society seems all too addicted to. What I experienced at Two Bikes and Bike Camp 2025 is the praxis of these intangible ideas. We have to engage with the system of inequity in order to improve it. A willful rejection of the world isn’t ever going to make it better, cleaner, and more equitable. And though it may seem high-minded to suggest a bunch of people sleeping in a field talking about bike-adjacent topics is moving the needle, I can genuinely say I feel that it is. Through the work Two Bikes is doing every day, Bike Camp feels like the crystallization of what it means to introduce people to the places a bike can take you. To a cleaner environment, a better world, and perhaps most importantly here in the American South, to one another.

For more on the Two Bikes concept and how to get involved, visit TwoBikesChattanooga.com. And be sure to stay tuned for our Bikes of Bike Camp 2025 feature soon…

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