Formerly the owners of Rainy Peak Cyclery in Oregon, Randi Jo Fabrications‘ Randi Jo and Eric know a thing or two about good cycling products, bad weather, and how the little items can make a difference. While Eric does most of the dreaming, Randi Jo uses her skill and years of experience to sew each and every product they sell. Read more about the M.U.T. pictured above, and their products after the jump…
While they offer a few well-made standards, like cotton or wool caps, saddle covers and custom jerseys, my favorite two products are the shop apron and the Multi-Use Tote (M.U.T.).
The M.U.T. is the product they’ve received the  most press on, as it’s a well-thought alternative to many of the saddle bags on the market. From their site:
A tote to carry what your little heart desires. Â Tool kit & tube, scrumptious snack, mini camera, 24 oz. tall boy or glass bottle.
Cordura covers the outside of this tote and nylon lines the inside for easy ins and outs.
A thin layer of foam insulates and protects your load too.
It boasts an outer pocket that fits just so over a standard bottle cage lip and a roll top to customize the fit according to your load.
Two extra loops in the back give you more options for mounting as an under-seat bag, frame bag or in a non-standard bottle cage.
- Tough Cordura
- Standard bottle cage lip pocket
- Roll down top with snap fastener
- Two loops on back  for mounting
- Two Total hook* straps included
- Foam insulated
Their apron is plain amazing. I work as a shop mechanic for my day job, and I used to dread putting on my basic, cheap apron (made by a company that rhymes with Mark Fools), with the neck strap digging in, and few pockets full of tools weighing it down, but I just never could find a proper replacement. Until now.
Randi Jo was patient and helpful in making sure that I got exactly what I was looking for. The crossing strap design is super comfortable, even after 9 hours in the shop, and the pockets are all very useful in shape, size and location. The apron reminds me of the old nautical proverb, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Plus, I got some awesome custom embroidery on it, which customers seem to enjoy. I honestly couldn’t be happier with it, and recommend it highly to shop mechanic and home mechanics alike.
