The Campout Navigators: Free Range Cycles - Swift Industries
Swift Campout is the annual, global call to go bike-camping to celebrate the summer solstice. For the tenth year in a row, adventurers will pack camp gear on their bicycles and head out on June 22nd and 23rd, 2024 to kick off summer with a bike-overnight. Swift Campout is an ode to spending the longest day in the saddle and the shortest night under the stars. It is a celebration of the stellar community that rallies to share this stoke. To capture the magic of the event, we’ve called on Navigators around the world to guide their communities on a Swift Campout adventure.
Say hello to our neighbors, Free Range Cycles:
“Located in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, we’ve been a woman-owned and led shop from the jump in 1997. We strive to do high quality work while making the bike shop space feel accessible to folks who have historically been left out of the cycling narrative. We work with commuters, bike campers, cycle tourists, randonneurs and adventurers of all kinds to help folks navigate this city and roll beyond it under their own pedal power. In everything we do, we strive to provide kindness, excellent technical support, thoughtful products, and reliable workmanship to people who are excited about bicycles.”
What does Swift Campout mean to Free Range: “The Swift Campout is a great opportunity to get a variety of riders out on their bikes, and this year we are really excited to offer access to a gear garage for participants. We hope to provide a chance for people to get stoked about using their bikes in new ways and to continue to dismantle the prototype of what cycling looks like and who it is for.”
The Free Range Campout
Campout Destination: Manchester State Park
About the ride: This ride is a great introduction to bike packing! We will ride from Free Range Cycles down to West Seattle and take the Southworth ferry across the sound. From there it’s just a couple miles over to Manchester State Park. This is a no-drop ride and will have plenty of breaks for snacking and water. This ride is for specifically for riders who identify as WTFNB (women, trans, femme or non-binary). We can provide some gear as necessary for those who do not have bike packing or camping equipment as a short term rental. Riders will be responsible for providing their own food. 30 miles out and 30 miles back on paved surfaces.
The Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46172688
Difficulty Level: Easy – Great for newcomers to bicycle touring who are comfortable on the road and ready to expand their skills. Terrain will be mostly paved with some hard packed gravel/dirt rail trail routes. Average pace of 8-10 mph.
Registration: There will be 8 spots for this ride. They are first come first serve and you can email freerangecycles@gmail.com to sign up!
