Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Bento Box

So on your 200k - 300k - 400k - 600k brevets...

What do you put in your Bento Bag?

SharpT

Food!! Anything and everything!! I've had energy bars in there ... and cookies, and pastries, and salted almonds, and cheese crackers, and beef jerky ... whatever I'm hungry for and can fit in there.


My Bento Bag would probably be among my top-10 purchases for long distance cycling .... especially great for digging food out when you have to wear ski gloves on your early-season 200K and 300K rides.

I've not done more than a century, but I'll sitck my nose in here. I don't overload the bento with food. I keep my camera and current snack item the bento. The next food item or 2 goes in my back shirt pocket. (Especially if it's a bar, I prefer bars warm and gushy, less energy spent chewing!) and future food items in the seatbag. I stop often (though for very brief time) that I have plenty of time to switch, even a traffic light is enough to shuffle stuff around.



At night, the bento holds the battery lights, and on short rides, the cell phone. The bento box really is a wondrous device.

I put my GPS in the box. I cut a block of styrofoam to fit under the GPS and cut a window out of the mesh so I can see the screen. The foam block raises the GPS screen to the top of the box so I can easily read it.

I currently have a small bento box. I'd like to look into a larger one to fit the camera and GPS.

4 energy bars, 1 gel blok package, 1 4 oz. flask of flavored malodextrin, very small containers of eyedrops, lip balm, sunblock and chamois creme.

1) Plastic pill box full of Endurolytes.
2) Foldable reading glasses in a little pseudo-leather case, ziptied to the Bento.
3) Clip-on Pulsar LED light for reading cue sheet, computer, etc. at night.

That's all there's space for! And now I don't lose my glasses or cue-sheet light, anymore. Two very critical items.

Everything else goes in handlebar bag, pockets, or Carradice.

Usually food, but then I've never done over ~260km in a day so the only night riding I do is commuting. I suppose if I did a 400k or a tough 300k that would involve some night riding I might re-arrange things, who knows?

We are talking about Bento Boxes, right ...... not handlebar bags??

How do some of you fit so much stuff in your Bento Boxes? Mine holds TWO energy bars, or the equivalent ..... that's it. There's no room in there for cameras, glasses, lights, sunblock, chamois cream, cell phone, or anything else!! I could probably manage to put ONE of those things in my bag (but no food and nothing else) but I'd be terrified to put my camera, glasses, or anything important in mine ... I'd be afraid it would sag and the item would drop out.

FYI.........bento bako is Japanese for lunch box. :)

FYI.........bento bako is Japanese for lunch box. :)

Yes ... that's where the name came from .... they are meant to be little lunch boxes attached to our bicycles. :)

the Akona Biospeed bento box is longer than the usual ones - little shorter profile. I take out the plastic thingy at part that is near the steering tube and cut it down a centimeter so it does't affect turning. It is a sleek cheap unit that handles all that stuff.

This is the one I have:

http://www.sportsbasement.com/images/us//local/products/viewlarger/LBB_lg.jpg

All kinds of room for a new fangled small camera and bar :)

I do keep the top velcroed so the camera doesn't fall out when it sags.

This is the one I have:

http://www.sportsbasement.com/images/us//local/products/viewlarger/LBB_lg.jpg




I always thread the bottom straps between the cable and the bar, so I can velcro it tight, against the bar, without worrying about effecting cable performance or longevity.

Kinda looks like the velcro strap is pinching the exposed brake cable, no?

As far as the question goes, I keep my pills and syringes in mine. Thanks for asking!:D

Small multi-tool, long 4 mm, 5 mm, and 6mm Allen keys, 8 mm and 10 mm box-ends, small flat screwdriver, 2 Clif bars, Presta/Schraeder adapter, iPhone. Spare tubular under the saddle.

I'm not up to real distances yet (40 miles 2 days ago, 14.8 mph average).

Nothing; I don't have one.

I keep what I need in my frontbag. Food and spare clothes in the main compartment. Inhaler, Endurolytes, pen, brevet card and maybe my phone/camera in the zipped top compartment. Trash in the left side mesh pouch. Quick grab snack in the right hand mesh pouch. Medicine, sunscreen and chamois creme in the front zipper compartment.

I want a bento box, but I haven't tracked one down. I actually wanted it for holding the battery for my light, but I think I would like to try one for other things such as food and food-like-objects.

I want a bento box, but I haven't tracked one down. I actually wanted it for holding the battery for my light, but I think I would like to try one for other things such as food and food-like-objects.

Check this (http://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=1295) out. Also, free shipping and no tax.

I want a bento box, but I haven't tracked one down. I actually wanted it for holding the battery for my light, but I think I would like to try one for other things such as food and food-like-objects.

I really like the Banjo Brothers version (http://www.banjobrothers.com/products/01062.php). It's a little larger than others I've used, and there is a small amount of padding on the bottom and the sides. It holds approximately four energy bars.

On night rides, I often stick the battery-pack for my Dinotte in it.

Everything about it seems a little better than previous bento boxes I've used. The velcro fastens better, the straps that secure it to the top-tube and head tube are sturdier, it has nice reflective piping. And pretty inexpensive too.

My wife and I both use the axiom bento box that was on special in the super reject get it out the door basket at our local bike shop. For the $10.00 I consider this to be in-valuble.

Usually I can manage to get 3 cliff bars and 3 gels in the bento box.

The axiom version has a sideways compartment for carrying a cell phone on the side. We just removed them as this part of the bag rubbed on the inside of one's thighs when standing on a climb which became very irritating.

On the top mesh closure I have attatched a picture of my wife and son as inspiration and to keep me laughing if thing's get tough on a long ride. This was really helpful on my first 400km ride last year as it reminded me to ride strongly so I could get home to see the family sooner.

...I keep my pills and syringes in mine.

Syringes? For insulin or EPO? :D

Anybody know a good bento box in a natural color, like a wheat or gray-green, not that ugly nylon black?

We are talking about Bento Boxes, right ...... not handlebar bags??

How do some of you fit so much stuff in your Bento Boxes? Mine holds TWO energy bars, or the equivalent ..... that's it. There's no room in there for cameras, glasses, lights, sunblock, chamois cream, cell phone, or anything else!! I could probably manage to put ONE of those things in my bag (but no food and nothing else) but I'd be terrified to put my camera, glasses, or anything important in mine ... I'd be afraid it would sag and the item would drop out.

I have the standard Bento Box and can fit a digicam, energy bar and gel packet in without any difficulty. I even put in a tiny bit of foam padding to protect the camera. My digicam is slim (a Canon IXUS 80 IS (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0801/08012402canonixus80.asp)), so it doesn't take up tons of space. The bar and gel also take up little space.

However, there are times when I use my Bento Box to carry around a vest or shell, or my iPhone (in a protective case and usually in a ziploc bag for moisture protection). It all depends on the ride.