Sunday 9th August 2026 - Annual Jack Taylor Ride - Stokesley

 ​Sunday the 9th seen the annual Jack Taylor ride/get together take place at Stokesley with 2 ride loops taking place, a long and a short, with lunch in Swainby before looping back to Stokesley. 

For Caleb and I our journey began on the Saturday when we left home around 7.30 am heading to our hotel in Stockton on Tees around 450 miles away. We had loaded the bikes on Friday evening, mine being my Jack Taylor Super Clubman and Caleb taking his Wester Ross, his own classic rather than riding one of my JT's. 

Saturday seen us leave in the cool morning with some rain for the first few hours with a stop just out of Edinburgh to catch up with Andrew to make our apologies for not being able to attend the annual Flying Scot BBQ on the Sunday. It was a shame to miss but the JT weekend is one of, if not my favourite classic get together. 

We eventually made the hotel around 8pm after getting dinner on the way.  Compared to home the weather was great, very warm, sunny, nice. 

Sunday dawned sunny, we were in Stokesley quite early as we used to have breakfast here with Ken, Eric and a few others in earlier days. It's always a great social gathering with the nicest most welcoming group of people, all there to enjoy each others company and ride with many other Jack Taylor cycles. Lots of bikes on display, various items people had bought to show, and with Eric having everything from bike tags to the various fitment nut and bolts from the old workshop to give away to anyone that needed them, along with the plans for the JT workshop in Church Road, there was plenty of things to keep the conversation flowing. 

Another of these and a historical piece was the Radmore tandem of Mark and Lorna's. I will put up the photos with information but it was the tandem that went back to California with the Radmores in the 1950's and opened up the American market to the Taylors. It was a two way street as bikes went to the USA and Americans came often to pick up bikes they had ordered, ride around the UK and Europe and then ship them home. We are not quite sure how it ended up back in the UK but was found by Derek in a very sad state and then restored by Mark and Lorna. An interesting story for sure. 

Once the ride got underway it started raining!!!  Everybody said it was the driest summer and we couldn't believe it, but it was short lived and even Caleb said as it was so warm it was kind of refreshing compared to riding in the rain at home. All dried by the end of lunch/cake stop.  Even the ride is a great social affair with people riding along in groups chatting away, stopping to help each other with any problems, checking out each others rides whether Jack Taylors or other classics. The racers who have raced them or time trialled them most of their lives, the tourers, the tandem riders, the commuters, all out for a ride and smiling with it. 

After returning to Stokesley in the afternoon Caleb and I had a drink with others before having to leave and get to Glasgow that night for a late dinner with family, before I headed home on Monday morning, seeing Brian in Dingwall on my way up the road. 

A very social weekend and having covered just on 975 miles it was a long one for sure, but well worth the effort. So if you are free next year I highly recommend it, you don't need a Jack Taylor, doesn't even need to be a classic really as there were a few people from the local club on gravel bikes and a few nice modern racers, so come along I am sure you wont be disappointed. This was Calebs 3rd year and he loves it, he's been coming since he was 13, always made to feel welcome and included. 

Sadly our first year since Ken has past away not long after last years ride. While he hasn't attended the ride the past couple of years he was always keen to hear any stories or have a visit. RIP. 

Jamie    

Sunday 26th April 2026 - Jack Taylor Super Clubman Coastal Ride - Caithness

 A bit late but  a couple from last Sundays ride.

I better post these now as hopefully weather will be better tomorrow and I will be back out. Now that it seems the weather has turned the corner and time for longer nicer rides I thought I better service some of my usual rides so they are ready to roll when needed or when the unexpected day off arrives or someone calls and says 'you fancy heading here or there.'
So while doing various chores on Sunday I had the Jack Taylor Super Clubman out for a clean and lube, while it is my go to classic it does see a bit of use in the winter so just wanted to check it over, lube and also check the rust spots that I try to keep at bay. So a fresh coat of wax as well.
I really like the way this Super Clubman rides and handles, the nicest of all I think, it is so relaxed and comfortable whether road or dirt, is super stable but quick enough with it. If I get another frame made then I would copy the dimensions of this frame to the millimeter.
Anyway, I had a couple of hours spare in the afternoon so just went out for a ride just for the sake of going for a ride. Got to the end of my road, left or right? and decided left, to head towards Dunnet and then see how far I could get back riding on the tracks around the coast. Just meandering.
I got out and then back to Castlehill and then turned onto the dirt tracks round the last bit of coast but the track seemed to go down onto the rocky slab coastal edge after a few miles and I didn't fancy carrying the bike over. Still it was good while it lasted and always good to ride the Super Clubman. I headed back up a dirt path and eventually came out on the main road about a mile from home. 

Good to be out. 

Jamie

October 6th 2025 - RIP Ken Taylor

 It is with great sadness I learnt the passing of Ken Taylor on the evening of the 6th October 2025.

One of life's true gentleman. A privilege to know him, however briefly in his long and well lived life.
Condolences and thoughts to Honor and family.
Rest in Peace with your brothers now.

'Have a nice ride'

Jamie Dyer

Saturday 19th October 2024 - Caleb and Wester Ross Cycles shakedown ride - Home to Aultbea

 So a bit of progression with this build since the last post. Driven in equal measure by growing enthusiasm as the build progress's and also by the desire on both mine and Calebs to get it set up and back to Aultbea before the winter takes hold. This worry becoming a reality after the weather of the lasts few weeks.

Last week I managed to get most of the week off so I could spend some time at home with Caleb during the holidays. We swapped a few things around and while I managed to get it bolted together we cabled it all up together so he understood how each part worked and how everything worked together.
A mixture of parts but they all work well together and he is comfortable with them and enjoys riding it, drop bars and downtube shifters included, indexed at the rear 7 speed freewheel. Still some improvements to go like changing out the 700c x 30mm Jackie Brown tyres for a slightly smaller 28mm size as there is very little clearance under the brake bridge and this will give that little bit more and enough then to fit some Bluemels mudguards.
I managed a quick ride up and down the road on the Friday evening in the freshly starting rain to make sure it all worked and was safe before handing it off to Caleb. Lucky the rain was only light as it took me a while to get him in and off the bike. Initial thoughts were very happy and enthused for how nice it rode and how light it was etc.
The first real ride out and initial shakedown would come in the morning as the weather forecast said that Saturday would be a bit showery but with sunshine coming though here and there with the wind not too bad until the late afternoon. This was to be the best of the week so far with a storm hitting Saturday night through to Sunday/Monday.
So bikes loaded in the van ready for a 6 am drive to Dingwall, pick up Brian and then the three of us would drive back north to Aultbea, get a a decent ride in and then visit the Arctic Convoy Museum with lunch somewhere in there. The schedule would be determined by the weather, re rain. It was good to be on a mission to get Caleb and his Wester Ross back home for a visit to Aultbea, here on the north west coast of Scotland, where it was built 42 years ago.
The building it was built in is now the Arctic Convoy Museum, which is doubly fitting as Calebs great grandfather took part in many of the convoys during the Second World War. Of which he got more information about in the museum. A great museum and well worth the visit even without a connection.
It wasn't a huge ride out but a good few miles through town and then along the quieter coast road round the side of Loch Ewe. A great ride though and with the Wester Ross riding lovely you could see Caleb being quite proud of it and enjoying it so much. We were very lucky with the weather as we got a couple of light spots of rain on our way back to where we left the van but the ride before the museum and up to the museum was dry and even afterwards it was only right at the end when packing up that we had to hurry. It was dry for the time in the museum as well which must have been an hour or two. So considering the rain we had on the drive to and from Aultbea we were quite lucky as we even had sunshine throughout.
We had a late lunch at a local B&B before heading back north and across to Dingwall.
A great day out and certainly worth the drive and ride out in the wind and rain. Thanks again to Brian for joining us as it meant a lot to both of us you could come as always a great friend to us both and make him laugh so much but also a great source of encouragement to Caleb.  

Jamie