Banjo Blog

  • Eric Hawkins and his father, Howard, the Founder of Park Tool. Park Tool was founded in 1963.

    FIVE THINGS WITH CYCLIST ERIC HAWKINS - CEO PARK TOOL

    FIVE THINGS is a feature on the Banjo Brothers Blog. It’s a short interview about life and bicycles with a notable person. This week's notable person is Park Tool's, Eric Hawkins.

    Eric Hawkins is the owner/CEO and Chief Mechanic at Park Tool Company the world’s largest manufacturer of specialty bicycle tools and fixtures. Raised in a bike shop, Eric’s career started assembling Sting Rays and Varsity(s) at his father’s shop in the mid 70’s then on to work at Park Tool starting in 1983. Park Tool was started by Eric’s father and a business partner out of the back of a bike shop in the mid 60’s and has now grown to include over 500 products and is distributed to bikes shops and home mechanics in over 75 countries.

    Enjoy this week's Banjo Brothers Five Things.

  • FIVE THINGS RAD DAD EDITION: CYCLIST TRENTON RAYGOR

    FIVE THINGS RAD DAD EDITION: CYCLIST TRENTON RAYGOR

    Rad Dad #1 is Trenton Raygor. Raygor might be best known for his contributions to Minnesota's gravel cycling scene, as the founder of The Filthy Fifty and The DAMn.
  • Banjo Brothers Five Things Grace Pooley

    FIVE THINGS WITH CYCLIST GRACE POOLEY

    FIVE THINGS is a weekly feature on the Banjo Brothers Blog. It’s a short interview about life and bicycles with a notable person. This week's notable person is cyclist Grace Pooley.

    Grace is a chemist and a materials engineering grad student who lives and rides bikes in the Washington, D.C. area. Her passions include riding bikes, running,  camping  and drinking beer. Grace is the former Warranty Manager and Senior Sales Associate at BicycleSPACE

  • FIVE THINGS MARK CRAMPTON

    FIVE THINGS WITH CYCLIST MARK "MARKUS" CRAMTON

    FIVE THINGS is a weekly feature on the Banjo Brothers Blog. It’s a short interview about life and bicycles with a notable person. This week's notable person is Mark ‘Markus’ Cramton.  Markus is an avid cyclist and has been the local 30 Days of Biking Captain in Fargo, North Dakota for the past five years. 
  • FIVE THINGS THE SLOWRIDE PODCAST

    FIVE THINGS WITH THE SLOWRIDE PODCAST CREW

    FIVE THINGS is a weekly feature on the Banjo Brothers Blog. It’s a short interview about life and bicycles with a notable person and sometimes persons. This week’s FIVE THINGS is with the crew of The Slowride Podcast, Matt "Little Guy" Allen, Spencer Haugh and Tim "Super Rookie" Hayes.

    The trio is 201 episodes deep, in what could be described as the golden age of podcasting.The Slowride Podcast made its debut in March of 2014 and now lives as a part of the Wide Angle Podium Network which is an artist-owned network of like-minded, cycling podcasters. 

  • Luke Breen Perennial Cycle Five Things

    FIVE THINGS WITH LUKE BREEN OWNER PERENNIAL CYCLE MPLS

    FIVE THINGS is a weekly feature on the Banjo Brothers Blog. It’s a short interview about life and bicycles with a notable person. This week’s FIVE THINGS is with Perennial Cycle owner Luke Breen.

    Luke and the Banjo Brothers' relationship goes back all the way to Banjo Brothers' inception in 2003. Breen attracted attention to his store in 2016 when he dumped the name of his shop (Calhoun Cycle) over the controversial history of John C. Calhoun, described as one of the most aggressive segregationists and proponents of slavery in U.S. History. It was a risky move considering the brand equity Breen built over the past 20 years.