Bike Friday User Group UK - Report on KM158

KM158

A Bike Friday at KM158, 22-25 May 1998

The Kirkpatrick Macmillan Cycle Rally was first held in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the building of what is thought to be the first true bicycle. That first event was known as KM150, denoting the anniversary and the name of the Scottish Blacksmith, Kirkpatrick Macmillan, who built the machine. Macmillan lived and worked at Courthill Smithy, near Thornhill, about 10 miles from Dumfries, and the Rally is held at nearby Drumlanrig Castle over a weekend at the end of May each year. The weekend happens to be a Bank Holiday in England, thus allowing people to stay rather longer, but it's not a holiday weekend in Scotland.
KM Gravestone This year the event was the weekend after Folder Forum at Ventnor in the Isle of Wight, so I just had time to get back home from FF, do a bit of washing, and then travel up to Dumfries. I'd used the train to go to Folder Forum, but for KM158 I was able to get a lift with John Pinkerton, the Cycle Historian, in his capacious, if elderly, motor caravan. This meant I could carry luggage, including camping gear, without having to worry about the weight, or load up the bike, and I didn't need to fold it either. My New World Tourist had recently been fitted with new tyres (Schwalbe City Jets) and also I had only recently converted to clipless pedals. Generally I don't think it is a good idea to change equipment too soon before a ride, in case of problems, but I'd used City Jets before on another bike and had been very pleased with them, and in case of pedal problems I took a spare pair with conventional clips and toe straps - not having to worry about weight helped here. The new tyres, which are narrower and run at higher pressure than the originals, did seem to reduce rolling resistance a bit, and although I still don't feel completely confident with clipless pedals, these caused no problems either.

Camping facilities at the event were a bit spartan, and I tend to travel quite light when camping, with no cooking equipment. However, I was able to scrounge cups of (real!) coffee from John, who had all the necessary cooking and other luxuries in his motor caravan. In return I gave him a bit of help in setting up an exhibition of cycles in a gallery in Thornhill.

The first KM event, KM150, had a large number of organised events going on, including a trade display. The subsequent events have been much lower profile, basically a rally with plenty of ride route sheets, and four rides each day of differing lengths to suit the preferences of different riders. I tried a number of the rides suggested on the route sheets, but most days I went off on my own rather than with a group, as I like to go at my own pace, stop when I want for photographs etc. The route sheets were certainly useful, but I found an OS map was essential as well. The route sheets were particularly useful in identifying points of interest on the rides, which might otherwise have been missed. The shorter rides generally seemed the most interesting in terms of good scenery and things to see - a couple of the longer rides I did certainly clocked up more miles, but involved rather uninteresting countryside, with not much in the way of views, and quite a lot of uphill work. The ride to Morton Castle was particularly enjoyable, and the one which took in the Glenkiln Sculptures was also interesting.

Although the weather was not as good as at Ventnor the week before (colder and with quite a strong wind at times) one could not really complain - there were just a few very light showers one day. Road surfaces were a bit variable - no serious problems of potholes, but a lot of the roads had originally been surfaced with coarse grit, most of which had worn away, leaving smooth tar. The result is that you switch from smooth tar to coarse gravel every few inches, giving a rather uncomfortable ride. A couple of the routes I used also involved short off-road sections, on very rutted tracks, which personally I don't find very comfortable on any small-wheeled bike.

For the most part those attending the event were on conventional touring bicycles. There were several Moultons, and a couple with a small child in a child seat and a large load of camping gear on Bromptons, but I didn't see any other Bike Fridays, though at least one other Fridayist was there, but riding a 'conventional' bike on this occasion.

The New World Tourist behaved perfectly throughout the week I spent at and around Thornhill. I didn't make use of the folding facility, but the Friday was as good for this event as any bike could be. The low frame height made mounting and dismounting easier on rougher tracks, and the wide range of closely spaced gears which the Sachs 3x7 system provides were ideal. I fitted the rear rack to carry rain gear etc on a couple of days when the weather looked less certain, but even with this fitted the bike felt light and responsive.

Overall this was a very enjoyable event, and I would certainly recommend the 1999 version to Group members, and the Bike Friday is an ideal bike to use for it. Many thanks to those involved in organising the event.

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