BLUE LUG BIKE & CAMP 2026
“Forty-Plus People, One Campfire”
BIKE & CAMP 2026 — Okutama, Tokyo. A little reminder of why we ride, and who we ride with.
There’s something about riding a bicycle somewhere you’ve never been before.
You notice things you probably wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. You take roads you would have never thought to take. You end up talking to people you might never have met.
And sometimes, without really realizing it, something changes in you along the way.
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Hi again, Kasper here.
I’ve mentioned this in my previous blog but, earlier this year, between March and April, I went on my first proper bikepacking trip, riding from Tokyo all the way down to Miyazaki.
That trip changed the way I looked at bicycles, and it also gave me a reason to join Blue Lug.
I started to realize that riding wasn’t just about getting from one place to another.
It was about everything that happens in between.
The unfamiliar roads, the unexpected encounters, the physical challenges, and the little moments you probably wouldn’t have experienced if you had taken a car or train instead.
It made me want to explore more, ride farther, and see what else was out there.
But something I’ve become even more interested in since then is what happens when you share those experiences with other people.
And that brings me to BLUE LUG BIKE & CAMP 2026.
“One Idea, A Whole Lot of People”
This year’s BIKE & CAMP in Okutama was organized by the one and only Ming, who also runs Bike Therapy.
I was lucky enough to join the team alongside Indy and Miles, who were helping capture the event through photography and video.
I actually got involved pretty last minute, but seeing the effort Ming had put into making this happen made me incredibly excited to be part of it.
And what made this year’s event even more special was that it wasn’t just happening here in Tokyo.
Ming had reached out to brands and friends from around the world, inviting them to organize their own rides and campouts in their communities.
Different countries, different landscapes, different people.
All sharing the same simple idea.
“Get outside, ride your bike, and spend some time together.”
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Seeing everyone posting their own adventures from around the world was honestly pretty moving. (Check out the Blue Lug Instagram for videos from all over the world!)
Something that started as one person’s idea was bringing people together in places thousands of kilometers apart.
And the best part? You didn’t need a massive event, fancy equipment, or hundreds of participants to be part of it.
Even a night outside with a few friends counted.
I think that’s what makes the idea so good.
“Forty-Plus Riders, All Going Somewhere Together”
For our Okutama trip, more than 40 people came together.
Blue Lug customers, friends of customers, staff, and people meeting each other for the very first time.
And of course, everyone brought their own bikes.
One of my favorite parts was seeing how differently people had built and used them.
Some had been carefully set up for carrying camping equipment. Others looked more suited for trails, gravel, or everyday riding.
But what made them special wasn’t necessarily the parts or how expensive they were.
It was how much personality each bike had.
You could tell that people actually used them. That they had spent time figuring out what worked for them, making adjustments, and slowly turning their bikes into something personal.
There’s something really cool about seeing a bicycle that feels like an extension of the person riding it.
At the beginning of the trip, we also handed out the special BIKE & CAMP reflectors.
Such a small thing, but seeing the same reflector hanging from everyone’s bike made me surprisingly happy.
All these different people, different bikes, and different ways of riding, suddenly connected by this one little object.
It felt like we were all part of the same team.
And I’m pretty sure we looked ridiculously cool riding around Okutama with matching reflectors. At least that’s what I’d like to believe. Haha.
“The Good Kind of Tired”
Our first day took us through the roads, gravel, and forest trails surrounding Okutama after setting up the campsite.
There were some unexpected route changes, a few seriously tough climbs, and plenty of moments when I wondered why I was putting myself through all of this.
But then you reach the top.
You look around.
You start descending.
And suddenly, that climb you were complaining about five minutes ago doesn’t seem so bad anymore.
That’s one of the things I’ve come to love about riding.
It asks something of you physically.
Your legs get tired. You get hungry. Sometimes you question your decisions.
But because you’re moving under your own power, everything you experience along the way feels a little different.
You’re paying attention to the road, the surface beneath your tires, the people riding around you, and whatever comes next.
For me, it creates a kind of mental space that’s difficult to find in everyday life.
Not because all your worries suddenly disappear, but because you’re completely focused on what’s happening right in front of you.
And when you’re riding with other people, that experience becomes something you share.
Someone struggles on a climb.
Someone else waits at the top.
Someone makes a joke, and everyone starts laughing.
Nobody needs to be the fastest. You just need to keep going together.
And by the end of the day, you’ve already been through something as a group.
“The Campfire Might Have Been My Favorite Part”
After riding, we returned to the campsite, got ready for the night, and eventually gathered around one big campfire.
This was probably the moment that stayed with me the most.
Over 40 people, many from completely different backgrounds, sitting around the same fire.
Some had been friends for years.
Others had only met that morning.
We started talking.
Not just about bikes.
About work, music, where people grew up, what they do on their days off, how they spend their time, and what brought them here in the first place.
These were conversations I probably wouldn’t have had with the same people inside the shop.
And I think that’s what made them so special.
When you’re working at a bike shop, there’s naturally a relationship between the customer and the staff.
Someone comes in looking for a part, needs help with their bike, or wants advice.
You talk, help them out, and eventually they head home.
But out here, those roles start to disappear.
You’re not really a customer or a staff member anymore.
You’re just two people who spent the day riding bicycles, got tired, and are now sitting around a fire talking about life.
I found that incredibly refreshing.
A few people even recognized me from Blue Lug’s YouTube videos before we’d ever met in person.
Others mentioned wanting to stop by the shop after getting to know us during the campout.
It made me think about how relationships actually begin.
Sometimes it’s through a product.
Sometimes it’s through a video.
And sometimes it’s simply because you happened to share a difficult climb or sit next to someone at a campfire.
“I think a lot of the trust people have in a place like Blue Lug is built through moments like these.”
Not only through what we sell, but through the people we meet and the experiences we share.
The more I experience this side of cycling, the more I realize how important that is to me.
“A Bike That Takes You Further”
This was also my first overnight bikepacking trip on my own Surly Midnight Special.
Since joining Blue Lug, I’ve been learning so much about bikes, how they’re built, and the different ways people use them.
But there’s a big difference between looking at a bike in a shop and actually spending two days riding it through the mountains with all your things packed onto it.
For this trip, I used FAIRWEATHER’s Handlebar Bag ADV and Fork Pack to carry my gear.
I won’t go too deep into the technical details here, since I’d like to write proper reviews after spending more time with them.
But actually using them made me appreciate the thought that goes into designing products like these.
You start to understand why certain details matter and how they affect your experience on the bike.
And honestly, I love discovering those things for myself.
What surprised me even more was how different my Midnight Special felt from other bikes I’d ridden.
I’m still figuring out what kind of rider I am, what I like, and how I want to build my bike.
And that’s part of the fun.
One thing I want people who haven’t tried bikepacking to know is that “you don’t need to have everything figured out before you start.”
You don’t need the perfect bike or the perfect setup.
Of course, having the right equipment for the weather, terrain, and distance is important.
But you can start small.
An afternoon ride somewhere new.
An overnight trip with a friend.
Taking the train out of the city and riding back.
You might be surprised how much even a simple trip can change the way you feel about riding.
“One More Ride Before Going Home”
The next morning, we slowly got ourselves ready for another day on the bikes.
Indy and Miles were busy taking photos and filming, while I was capturing some video too.
Eventually, we all gathered and headed toward Musashi-Itsukaichi through the forest roads.
There were four to five punctures and even a broken chain along the way.
Because, well, bikes.
But everyone made it through safely, without any injuries.
And when we finally reached the convenience store near Musashi-Itsukaichi Station, it was time to say goodbye.
Some people headed off on their own, while I joined a group of around ten riders making our way back toward Tokyo.
By this point, it was hard to believe that some of us had only met the day before.
We had shared meals, conversations, climbs, mechanical problems, and a night under the stars.
All in just two days.
That’s what really stayed with me.
“How can two days on bicycles make people feel so much closer?”
I don’t know if there’s a perfect answer.
But I think the fact that you’re experiencing things together, rather than just talking about them, has a lot to do with it.
You see how people react when they’re tired.
You see how they help each other.
You learn what makes them laugh.
You get little glimpses into who they are outside their everyday routines.
And sometimes, that’s enough to turn a stranger into a friend.
“More People, More Bikes, More Stories”
Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful that Ming invited me to be part of this. Not just because I got to go camping or spend two days riding my bike.
But because I got to experience something he had worked so hard to bring to life.
What really inspired me was seeing how far his idea reached.
From a campsite in Okutama to different communities around the world, people were getting together, riding their bikes, and making their own memories.
That’s pretty amazing when you think about it.
And it made me want to do more.
To help share these experiences, connect more people, and hopefully introduce someone new to this side of cycling.
Because I genuinely believe bicycles are one of the simplest ways to bring people together.
You don’t need to speak the same language.
You don’t need to have the same job.
You don’t even need to know each other beforehand.
Sometimes all it takes is agreeing to go for a ride.
When I first rode from Tokyo to Miyazaki earlier this year, that trip made me realize how much bigger the world could feel from the saddle of a bicycle.
This time, BIKE & CAMP reminded me that it’s not only about the places a bike can take you.
It’s also about the people you meet along the way.
And I think that’s the part I want to keep exploring.
To everyone who joined us, thank you for the conversations, the laughs, and the miles we shared.
To Indy and Miles, thank you for capturing so much of the experience.
And of course, a huge thank you to Ming for making this whole thing happen — and to everyone at Blue Lug who helped make it possible.
I feel incredibly lucky to be part of a community like this.
And if you’ve never been bikepacking before, I really hope you’ll give it a try someday.
Bring a friend.
Or come by yourself and make a new one.
Pack what you need, pick somewhere you want to go, and see what happens.
You might come back with more than you expected.
See you on the next ride!
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Kasper
Your Friendly Host
