Banjo Brothers + Fatty + 100 Miles of Nowhere: Old Friends

04.10.2013 | 2:41 pm

If you were to look at all of The Hammer’s and my bikes, all lined up in a row, you’d notice a few things in common. They all use a variation of the same saddle (Selle Italia SLR). All the mountain bikes use the same kind of pedals (Time ATACs), and all the road bikes use the same kind of pedals (Speedplay X). 

And every single bike — road or mountain — has a Banjo Brothers Small Seat Bag, holding the stuff you need to repair a flat.

Because once you find something that works perfectly, you stick with it.

And that’s the way things are with Banjo Brothers. As in, both their stuff and the partnership I’ve had with them ever since, pretty much, when this blog started around eight (!) years ago (like, I first reviewed their stuff in 2006, and they started sponsoring contests back in 2005) .

They’re good people, making good stuff. To hold your bike stuff.

And I couldn’t be more pleased that for the 2013 100 Miles of Nowhere (more about it in yesterday’s post), they’re continuing the tradition of putting something awesome in participants’ bags.

You Might Win This . . . Or This . . . Or This . . . .

What will The Banjo Brothers include in this year’s 100 Miles of Nowhere Swag Box?

Well, you’ll just have to see, because they’re going to provide a bunch of a bunch of different things, and which you get will pretty much just come down to luck. 

That said, you’re going to get one of the following things, and all of them are absolutely useful things any cyclist would want.

Jersey Pocket Cycling Wallet

I know it’s quite rare, but from time to time you will encounter someone who rides with a phone in their jersey. 

How peculiar!

If — perchance — you are one of those very odd and unusual people who both has a mobile cellular telephone device and you sometimes like to have it with you, just in case you feel like pulling over to the side of the road and making a phone call to a loved one just to tell that person how important they are to you, well, this item might be of interest to you. See, it’s a protective pouch with a touch-screen-compatible window, and pockets for ID and a key. It’s constructed of waterproof fabric with a full-length zipper, and the whole thing fits nicely into a jersey pocket.

What a weird idea for a product. i can’t imagine why anyone would want one of these. (Except me. I want one, bad, and will use it every single day I’m on my bike.) 

250 of you will get these.

Top Tube Bag

The Hammer uses one of these. Well, in fact she actually uses something like one of these, except made by someone else, because at the time I didn’t know Banjo Brothers also made these. 

She uses them when racing, because it’s a lot easier for her to grab a gel or food or whatever else she’s eating from a conveniently-situated pouch nestled on top of the top tube than it is for her to rummage around in a jersey pocket.

But here’s the thing: the one she has sucks. It flops around and lists to one side and collapses in oneself. 

This one, on the other hand, has rubber backed frame straps cut to length for a variety of top-tube sizes. The clear-top allows you too see what’s inside. Banjo Eric has been known to fill his with a few sleeves of energy chews during the epic Almanzo 100 bike Space in Spring Valley, MN. Sure, it’s a little messy, but the bags can be wiped clean, the food is ready to go, and there are no wrappers to deal with.

100 of you will get these.

Roadie-Sized Seat Bag

This is what I’ve got on all my bikes. All of them. Including my mountain bikes. It’s one of the first seven bags brought to market by Banjo Brothers, and it’s a timeless classic. It carries a spare tube, tire levers, and CO2 cartridges.

This bag is simple, tough and effective. And the two-strap design with no seat-post velcro means it won’t rub against your shorts. Plus, the trim’s reflective and it has a tab to hold a rear flashy.

150 of you will get these.

And You’ll Also Get This

I’ve got a feeling that once you spend a little time at the Banjo Brothers site, you’ll find that you want more than a thing or two from them. And that’s cool, because in addition to whatever else you get in your swag box from the Banjo Brothers, you’re also going to get a 40%-off coupon good for a shopping spree at Banjo Brothers’ online store.

Nice work, Banjo Brothers. I believe entry to the 100 Miles of Nowhere is going to quite quickly indeed.