The bicycle is deeply entrenched in Scottish history and culture, with the first mechanically-propelled, two-wheeled vehicle (the bicycle) apparently being built by Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a Scottish blacksmith, in 1839. In 1887, John Boyd Dunlop developed the first practical pneumatic or inflatable tyre for his son’s tricycle, making for a much smoother ride for us all.

Less well-known Scots have contributed to cycling far and above our well-kent sporting legends, Chris Hoy, Graham Obree & David Millar. It seems only right and fitting that bikes and cycling should be celebrated with their own tartan.

Originally designed for the inaugural Tartan Ride, held in Glasgow on St. Andrew’s night 2012, the Weathered Cyclist© tartan is the only cycling tartan.

“Life is like riding a bicycle.

To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

Albert Einstein

Weathered Cyclist has helped to enable Bike Swap projects in Glasgow. As children grow up they need a new bike every 6 months to 1 year, and it can be difficult for many households to cope with the associated costs. From this came the idea of the Bike Swap. Children pass down their bikes to younger or smaller children and receive a bike that fits in return. The bikes are then serviced and redistributed accordingly.

April Fool 900 was our initial major fund raising initiative. One of our directors rode 900 miles during the course of the month on a single speed bike, including Glasgow to Bristol in five days.The aim was to raise at least £1 per mile. All the money raised from this inaugural event was split evenly between The Glasgow Bike Station (now Bike For Good) and The Bristol Bike Project to provide funding to get children cycling.

Weathered Cyclist worked with Velocity Café and Bicycle Workshop in Inverness, with funds from a Tartan Ride in the city, helping to implement their ‘Bike Fix Fund’, giving people on low-incomes access to Velocity’s bike maintenance courses, learning how to fix and maintain their bicycles, therefore providing a cheap and sustainable mode of transport.

The Tartan Ride has helped to fund an ‘Earn-A-Bike’ scheme, allowing marginalised people from within the community to learn the basic skills to overhaul and refurbish a donated bike.

Let’s get social. Come along for the ride!