We are somewhat pleased to announce the opening of the Banjo Brothers Company Store. We created the store in order to sell close-out goods, factory seconds, re-furbished goods, one-of-a-kinds, and other schwag that you can’t get from our fine network of dealers. If you are a dealer, a team, organization or charity and wish to make a special buy, give us a holler and we’ll see what kind of deal we can put together. Inventory is likely to change frequently, so check back often or subscribe to our feed.

We are pleased to announce that Richard Foxall, the founder of UK’s Urban Hunter has added the Minnehaha line to his range of Urban Cycle Gear. Urban Hunter is the first UK stockist for our goods and is also helping Banjo Brothers establish some contacts across the pond.

Leather Color

Many have asked about leather color – when new, it is a very light tan color as we do not dye the leather.  If dried without any tanning process, leather is off-white (like drum heads).  The tannins used to cure the leather we use impart a light tan color.  However, natural vegetable-tanned leather will darken over time, accelerated by exposure to sunlight.

This photo shows the leather color when new and after a few months of use.  The Shoulder Bag has been used daily for a few months and in the sun for an hour or so each day.  You can see that it has darkened quite a bit already.  It was treated with Brooks Proofide® before use, but that alone had almost no effect on the color.  I’ll keep using it into Spring and take more photos.

The darker leather and canvas swatch was treated with a home-spun treatment of 2/3 soybean oil and 1/3 turpentine (I found this recipe online for treating canvas and couldn’t pass up such a folkloric treatment).  I did an entire bag with this – canvas and all.  It does improve the water resistance, but at the expense of a slightly oily feel to the fabric that gets better over time.  I will be testing this bag further, but right now don’t recommend it.  The turpentine also gives it a piney smell for a couple months.  Feels very 19^th century – just add muttonchops.

We’ll have more leather and canvas treatment tests shortly.

- Eric

Hiawatha Cyclery is one of the best commuter bike shops in Minneapolis

When Eric and I started Banjo Brothers and subsequently Minnehaha Bag Company, one driving reason was to be able to conduct business with like-minded individuals, and almost as important, was to do business with other small businesses and not giant corporate entities.

A couple years back, I was following the exploits of a blogger and soon-to-be bike shop owner via his blog. When his shop opened, we took the opportunity to make contact to try and establish a business relationship. The rest is history. Hiawatha Cyclery has blossomed into one of our most strategic and important customers. It is no surprise, that H.C. has been a key factor in the early success of the Minnehaha bag line.

We have always felt the folks at H.C. have a keen understanding of the market and we have used them to test strategic product concepts like the ones which resulted in the creation of the Minnehaha Bag line. We were thrilled when they told us they were considering taking a few of the bags on the road with them.

So, last weekend the boys from H.C. – Kevin MacAfee and Jim Thill brought the Minnehaha line to Madison, Wisconsin, for the annual Crono Metro Bike Swap. Kevin’s post show wrap-up was that they sold a few bags but there was a lot of interest in the line and that all the literature was consumed.

So, if you were one of the tire-kickers at the swap meet and have come here looking for more info, we encourage you to cha-cha with the company who brought you to the dance. Hiawatha Cyclery offers first class customer service and a style of doing business which will keep you coming back for more.

MHBCA is pleased to announce the line has been picked up by Velo Orange.

For those not familiar with VO, here’s some copy from their website:

Welcome to Velo Orange, manufacturers and purveyors of parts and accessories for randonneurs and cyclo-tourists.

Most cyclists don’t race, yet they ride uncomfortable racing bikes and try to go too fast and so miss much of the world around them. Our emphasis is on a more relaxed and comfortable style of riding, and on refined bikes that are comfortable on a century ride, an inn-to-inn tour, or even on a ramble down your favorite dirt road. This type of riding is called cyclo-touring or randonneuring.

VO has quickly developed a large and growing stable of well designed items under their own brand, so we are pleased that they would find our bags worthy of addition to their site.