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

04.10.2013 | 2:41 pm

NewImageIf 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

11 Comments

  1. Comment by NYCCarlos | 04.10.2013 | 3:29 pm

    Love all 3 of my banjo bros bags. Thanks for introducing me to them, Fatty! And thanks Banjo Bros for being such an awesome sponsor of the 100MoN!

  2. Comment by Dave T | 04.10.2013 | 3:49 pm

    wow I just started road riding again and was going to start looking for a solution for keeping my cell phone in my sweaty jersey pocket. Not that I need any swag to sign up for the 100 miles of nowhere but this is cool stuff!

  3. Comment by Clydesteve | 04.10.2013 | 6:09 pm

    love my BB bags, and I have a couple new ones in ready spares – MUST get phone pouch!!

  4. Comment by barton | 04.10.2013 | 6:48 pm

    It’s a Mpls love fest! Twini Six and Banjo Bros! I have the wallet, which has been great in our extended MN winter this year (waterproofing doesn’t seem to hold up with gale force winds). I also have a Minnehaha grocery bag, which is great for trios to farmers markets, and has been known to carry the random puppy as well.

    Great swag, as expected and hoped for!

  5. Comment by ClydeinKS | 04.10.2013 | 9:58 pm

    So much better than my very cool ziploc baggie! The odds look pretty good!!
    MightyAthena was lucky enough last year to get a top tube bag (AND matched her frame color!) and loves it. Don’t think she keeps anything in jersey pockets, that tube bag holds a ton!

  6. Comment by AKChick55 | 04.10.2013 | 10:08 pm

    Please thank Banjo Brothers for their extremely generous donation of awesome gear for the 100 MON!!! I love my bags! I’ve received the roadie bag the last couple years, but I need one more because I have three bikes. :)I’ll be poised above the keyboard waiting for registration to open.

  7. Comment by Tom in Albany | 04.11.2013 | 5:47 am

    C’mon, 17th!!! Get here now!!!! (Note: I hate my current seat bag..

  8. Comment by Laura | 04.11.2013 | 8:04 am

    I’ve been reading this blog for several years but I’ve never commented. I just saw this other website and felt everyone here would appreciate the following link. I started following Fatty because I was moved by Susan’s fight and the way Fatty documented it with his blog. This man documented his wife’s fight with breast cancer in photos. It is both tragic and beautiful. It reminds me why we fight.
    http://mywifesfightwithbreastcancer.com/

  9. Comment by Nancy_in_MN | 04.11.2013 | 7:04 pm

    @barton “It’s a Mpls love fest! Absolutely! Do we live in the best cycling city in the nation, or what!?!?

  10. Pingback by Fat Cyclist » Blog Archive » The 2013 100 Miles of Nowhere: Let’s Get Practical | 04.15.2013 | 12:17 pm

    [...] swag box for the 100 Miles of Nowhere has some pretty excellent swag: Something awesome from Banjo Brothers. A free, exclusive viewing of Singletrack High. And there will be more. Oh yes [...]

  11. Comment by Debbie | 04.17.2013 | 3:23 am

    The roadie is a classic for sure. Me and my husband always buy one as soon as we buy new bikes. It is a must for people who want to cycle on a regular basis and carry no weight on their back.

 

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