The taking part is the main thing. A certificate or a mug etc is given to each rider for taking part. Judging of the bikes is under taken during the rally. Cups for most original bike and or best rider in the costume for the cycle they are riding are given. The standard of the restoration and time taken and research undertaken to win these cups has to be seen to be believed.
The saving of vintage cycles was done piecemeal till in 1951 a group of like minded cycle collectors started a club in Coventry. This club was then followed by other clubs. Then a national body the National Association of Vintage Cycle Clubs was formed on the 8th April 1956. This has a rally held in turn by one of the clubs each year. There are now at least 10 club's in the UK and now there are more all over the world.
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This list below on this page is in random order of some the UK clubs and are listed below. If I have omitted your club I apologise. Links starting with http://www are to the vintage club own web site were more up to date details can be found
Links on this page and if they have have there own web site web
Long Sutton & District Veteran Cycle Club
Belvoir Bicyclists.....
VETERAN-HISTORIC CYCLE & RACING CLUB
Northern Counties Veteran & Classic Cycle Club
UPDATE February 2015 March Vintage & Veteran club had its own official web site . This website is no longer in use I think. .
...........................................................................The Desford Lane Pedallars came about after in June 1976 five people in Desford Lane in Rathy were loaned by a Mr Tony Twycross a local collector, 5 cycles to ride and display in the local village carnival, The Crow Pie. Then in the next year 1997 twenty riders took part in the Queens Jubilee Celebrations also mostly on cycles loaned by Mr Twycross. Then on the first Sunday in January 1978 the groups first event, a run which has been held ever year since. This group of like minded cyclists was still as yet unnamed. During 1978 this group went to fetes carnivals and charity events in Leicestershire.Then some of these riders rode in the Peterborough and in the Boston Vintage Cycles Clubs Rallies. During this time the name Desford Lane Pedallers Veteran Cycle Club was invented.
The group did not make it self an official Club till February 1980, after which it then applied to The National Association of Veteran Cycle Clubs for affiliation, which was granted. In 1983 the club hosted the the National rally this was a real honour for such a young club. The members have ridden in all the National rallies since.The club again hosting the National in 1993. The club has organised monthly events like the New Year ride and the July Jaunt and October End of Season. This together with fetes shows and all the other clubs rallies.The club has also ridden in The International Veteran Cycle Association rallies. In 1884 the Club Twined with the French Veteran Cycle club named The Union Velocipedique Belle Epoque. This Club is in the Loire valley part of France.This club holds a rally along the banks of the Loire river. The ride is about 40 miles in length. Their members have also ridden in the Desford events. The Desford Club also has a Classic 50 mile event for light weight sport cycles 1930 to 1960. The club goes to all sorts of events like the transport day on The Great Central Railway. The club has has it own magazine for members. Members also finding time to find and restore bikes of the own.
Desford Lane Pedalers pages on this site
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The N.A.V.C.C. is the main body looking after about 11 clubs. In its rules it says The object of the association shall be to co-ordinate the aims of the bodies constituent and members. To help with suitable activities and assist in forming new clubs.
The NAVCC has its own official website which is at
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Peterborough has one of the oldest cycle clubs in the UK which is still very active The Peterborough Cycling Club. The Peterborough Vintage club is the oldest of the vintage cycle clubs which is still in existence. The idea of a vintage club came about on cycle ride to the Birmingham Festival of Cycling in 1951. At a meeting on the 20th of October in 1952 the club was formed. The clubs badge has the cross keys of of St Peter and was based on the cities insignia. In the early years of the club Cyril Munday who had a large collection of vintage cycles at his Taverners Road cycle shop in Peterborough used to lend out some of his cycles to members to ride. At this time only a few of the members of the club owned there own vintage cycle. Charlie Slater had his own cycle which he had bought new and he was then in his 80s and he was still riding it. New or perspective members were escorted by Cyril threw rows of every day cycles awaiting mending in his shop to a wooden set of stairs up to a room full, if not overflowing with old cycles. "How about that one,"pointing to a rusty old bike. Then some how the bike was got out of this room and down to the shop.Members then spent depending on the cycles condition days or weeks doing them up. The club attended traction engine shows fetes and held the second National Rally in 1958 at Peterborough. The first having taken place in Coventry by the now disbanded Coventry Club.During this early years the club started holding its own Rally.
Transporting the club members and cycles to events the club relied on Mundays Bedford van to get riders and or bikes to the rally.Members often rode their cycles to some of the local events.The Annual Dinner at Market Deeping 8 miles from Peterborough was all done by vintage cycle in the morning and after the dinner the cycles were ridden back. Slowly members got there own bikes and transport and the numbers of members increased and the club and Cyril went their own ways.
The club has now held the National rally at least 7 times and the International in 1994. For many years the club hosted a large display at Expo Steam at the Peterborough Show Ground.This weekend event was attended by other clubs and a big show of cycles was put on. The Peterborough Vintage Cycle Club is still attending rallies and events.
The Long Sutton & District Veteran Cycle Club was formed in December 1957 by a group from the Wisbech Wheelers Cycle club. The club has hosted the N.A.V.C.C. rally 6 times the last time was the 1998 National rally. The 1961 rally was so hot the tar melted sticking to the steel treads on the boneshakers and every other bike. The 1971 rally was at Sandringham. Each May the club goes to the Spalding Flower Parade at which the photo above was taken. The club also goes to steam engine rallies and regular displays at the Sandringham Flower show. Being one of the older clubs it has a wide age range and a wide selection of cycles
This club will be the host of the 2016 NAVCC rally check there wbsite for details.
There website is at http://www.lsdvcc.com/
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This club used to be the Belton Museum VCC which had been formed on the 14 March 1980 at Boston in the UK. The museum was at Belton house near Grantham. A cycle museum was set up there and a support club was started. Ray Fixter was elected President and J Maynard its chairman. for three years. The club got off to a flying start then sadly Ray Fixter died. Then lord Brownslow decided to sell his house and estate. The new owners passed running of the house over to the National Trust. It was decided not keep the cycle museum at Belton. The museum then went to Lincoln. The club then changed its name to Belvoir Bicyclists. The club is based around Marston. The club attends other clubs rallies. It has hosted the National Association of Cycle Clubs rally under two different names in 1985 and 1994. The 2002 Belvoir Club rally was held on the 16th June 2002.
The Boston club was formed in 1964 in Tony cafe Wide Bargate Boston UK. About 12 people turned up.Eric Page was elected president and he held this post for 21 years.The subs at the start were 2 shilling or 10p in the new money. The club holds it own rally across the fens. On windy days ordinary riders can be blown off. But they soon jump back on! The club has hosted the N.A.V.C.C. rally four times.The club has a good membership . The club attends the other clubs rallies and goes to traction engine rallies and other shows. Its members have a wide range of bikes.
The Annual Rally of the National Association of Veteran Cycle Clubswas hosted by Boston Veteran Bicycle Clubwas held on 7th of September at Wainfleet in 2014, .
Details are on there website http://www.bostonveteranbikes.co.uk/
The village of Benson is in Oxfordshire. The Benson club was formed in 1958. Ned Pasey (the clubs life president) got a ordinary bicycle which was in a ridable condition.and his brother bet him 2/6d who would ride it first. Which one of the brothers did ride it is not known. This started a interest in vintage cycles.This small start then grew to about 200 cycles. He then lent cycles to some friends to restore and then a club was formed. This club has gone from this strength to strength and is now one of the main clubs.
Benson has hoisted the National Association of Veteran Cycle Clubs rally about 5 times in 1964-1970-1976-1981-1989-1999. Its own rally is mostly in July. This also has modern cyclists following the vintage bikes. The club ran a London to Briton rally in the early 1970s when because of very bad weather only a few members made it. It rained all day and was bitterly cold. The members of the club attend the other clubs rallies and other events
This club was founded in the spring of 1976. This was by Bill Austy and his brothers Ken and Eric all three of them being keen Wakefield cyclists. Bill had got a unknown old cycle which he later found out after some research abut it, that it was a Quadrant shaft drive cycle made by Lloyd Bros in Birmingham in 1898. The seeds had been set and other cycles were collected by friends. These included solid tyred cycles and tricycles and ordinaries. These came out of attics and cellars and formed a collection of bygones. This was then decided on as the name of the new club.
The number of members is now some were around the hundred mark. these members aim to restore there cycles to the condition that they were when first made. these members ride in the costume for the year of the cycle they are riding. The club attends fetes and galas along with traction engine rallies. the club also attends the other clubs rallies. The club has hosted the National rally in 1973-1977-1982-1990 and then again in 2000.
Bygone Bykes (Yorkshire) were the host to The NAVCC Veteran Cycle Rally at Pocklington on the weekend of the 6th and 7th of September in 2008
http://bygonebykes.weebly.com/
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Cyril Bartlett and some friends had attended some local events with some old and rare cycles which they had acquired. Some body at one of these shows told them that there was a Association for vintage cycle clubs. The idea of a club was suggested and the landlord of the Weatsheaf Inn Tony Bowyer offered a room for meetings and some storage for the cycles.
The inaugural meeting with 17 members taking place on the 18th of December 1985. The club then applying and getting membership of The National Association of Veteran Cycle Clubs. The club ran it first National in 1991. The club holds its own rally each year together with monthly runs. Some of these runs have been in Wales. Steam fairs like the ones at Northleach and at fairford have been attended. Members have also ridden in the Ride for Rider charity rides. Skittle nights as way of a change and a bit of fun have been popular.the club taking on some of the local clubs and societies.The club is affiliated to the IVCA and members have ridden in there rallies
In Year 2001, this club hosted the 2002 NAVCC rally at Northreach.
The Solent club was only formed in August 1987 and is one of the newer clubs. It was formed with the aim of encouraging the restoration and use of vintage cycles by organising regular local rides and taking in a place of interest on its ride. Membership being open to any one with a interest in early cycles.The club tries to have at ride of some kind most months of the year.
In 1994 the The Tour de France came to Portsmouth and the club put on a ride and display of about 50 cycles with the riders all in the appropriate costumes for the bike that they were riding. this was at the start and at the finish point of this great race.The club has carried on with this flying start to its vintage cycle life and its members ride in all the main events of the other clubs. The cycles that are ridden in the cycle rallies up and down the country are the result of hours of labour. Rusty frames with wheels with spokes missing and tyres that have spirits and tubes that have more holes than a colander. Paint that is conspicuous by the lake of it. Chains that have rusted into solid rump.Saddles than no one can sit on, the leather having rotted away leaving rusty springs sticking up in mid air. Parts missing and other bits not belonging to the cycle after having been fitted by some one many years later than the year the cycle was made. Were do they come from? Are there still cycles out there?.The answer to the first part is, is ever were. Backs of old out houses and sheds under years of rubbish and on farms or in lofts. Some times only bits are found to be saved for when I need them, or that my come in handy some day. That part that bill is looking for my well be at the back of bills shed, in that old tin.of parts.Member help each other out when ever possible and look out for cycle parts when out and about. You never know when you may come across just that vital screw or rim. Just like the resorters of cars and motor cycles time and dedication are needed and some skill. The perfect cycle with its original paint and tyres just as it left the factory is not a thing you find every day. Rust and peeling pant and rust are. Metal will need to be rubbed down and lots of coats of paint to the right shade for the cycle in question so as to get a shine just like it left the cycle shop some 80 years before. ........................................................................................
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This club was started so that riders could compete in time trails for vintage cycles but also has normal club runs.
Link to there own official web site
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RESTORING VINTAGE CYCLES
This vintage cycle web site is now on this part of UK RAILWAYS 1970 TILL TODAY
which is all about railways!
This page updated 26/2/2015
