WE aa hae oor passions. Things that muive us, inspire us, heize up oor speerits an tak us oot o wirsels when life gets wearisome. Fir some it’s the fitba; pitten oan yer team’s tap an trauchlin tae the grund fir the gemme oan a Setterday; win, loose or draw. Ithers enjoy fishin or kintra sports. There’s the manna fir oor minds providit bi buikish lear, or enjoyin heich art lik opera, art galleries an concerts. We aa hae oor passions.

Fir ma ain passions ah enjoy readin an writin – ah hae an extensive library that gies the cerebral pairt o ma life some o the fuel ah need tae stoke the furnace o creativity. Then there are the mair “practical” interests ah hae that divert me frae that cerebral life. An allotment (whaur a dig fir victory an tattie soup!); motor caurs that ah like tae drive an tinker wi; an then there are ma bicycles ...

Ah hae a wee collection o bicycles; mountain bikes (auld an new); a recumbent (that ah ne’er wis comfortable ridin!); a 1950s Hobbs Blue Riband racin tandem; foldin bikes/tourin bikes/bits o bikes ... Then there are ma Flying Scots.

The Flying Scot, fir thaim wha dinnae ken, is in ma opeenion (an the opeenion o a wheen ithers) aiblins ane o the finest racin bikes that wis e’er built – an they wir built here, in Scotland.

Mair specifically, they wir built in Glesga. These legendary machines originally cam frae a wee bike shoap in McAslin Street (jist aff the auld Parliamentary Road, nearhaund whit is nou the Lucozade Powerleague five-a-side complex) owned bi a veesionary man caa’d David Rattray. The firm David Rattray & Co, wis founded in 1900. Rattray’s wis later synonymous wi the famous bike shoap in Murray Street. The company produced bikes till 1983, when it sadly went oot o business.

Cycling in Scotland boomed in the 30s, 40s, 50s an 60s! An the “gae tae” place gin ye waantit tae ride the verra best machines wis Rattray’s! There is a byordnar website (http://www.flying-scot.com/core/welcome.html) rin bi a guy caa’d Bob Reid that kythes the hale story o the Flying Scot cycles. Bob’s site haes sections relatin the the history o the Rattray firm, a gallery featurin pics o existin Flying Scots, articles oan the technical side o the bikes, identifying an determinin the year yer bike wis built, decals, transfers an badges, etc, an ither “ephemera” relatin tae the Scot’s story. Gang tae the gallery page an the year 1957 – ye’ll see Flying Scot 51G, an ma guidsel posin wi it! Ah’m the anely gallery pic that hus the bike’s owner pictured! The website is a rael labour o luve an a testimony tae Bob Reid’s passion (that ah share!) fir these wunnerfu machines that aye-an-oan cairry the legacy o Glesga’s graund industrial past.

In 1951 a Flying Scot wid hae cost ye £42 “oan the road”. That equates tae aboot £1,500 in current siller. An that in times o rael austerity (no kid-oan austerity that we hae the nou!) when sic an investment an commitment kythed a warkin man or wumman’s mettle tae own the best!

Ma ain wee collection o Scots (ah hae five o thaim!) are the pride o ma cyclin fleet! 51G ah acquired around twenty-five year ago. The frame is aiblins a wee sint ower muckle fir me, but seein as Flying Scots are lik hen’s teeth nou, ye hud tae tak whit ye cuid get! Syne then ah hae managed tae fuin twa/three frames that are mair tae ma size an fittin! (21”, gin ye hae yin lyin in the garage!).

Ma ain passion an luve affair wi these aefauld mystical an magical machines led tae me producin a sonnet redouble sequence o poems, setten oot in a verra bespoke “art buik” duin in collaboration wi the artist Hugh Bryden. This is a unique wee item, that sets oot tae capture the magic an passion o the Flying Scots. The package alsae includes twa CDs – ane wi me readin the poems (which are in English, fir aa you Twitter fowk that like tae threip anent ma Scots leid evri week!) an ane wi a specially commissioned jazz suite “1957 Flying Scot”, bi the renowned New York-based Scots jazz saxophonist Ben Bryden (Hugh’s son). In an “intimate” readin o this wark at Sanct Andra’s StAnza poetry fest somebody suggestit these wir luve poems tae cyclin – he wis aiblins richt! This is the kindae thing oor passions muive us aa tae dae!

This weekend ah sat an watched Chris Froome win his third Tour de France, desairvedly wearin his prized “Maillot Jaune”. Ah near hud a tear in ma ee watchin Team Sky aa link airms in a line abreist as they coasted ower the feenish line in a unified show o strength. Cyclin is still a multi-billion pound global industry an interest in bikes an cyclin hus ne’er bin greater. There wir e’en Scotts in the Tour de France this year. Ye’ll note the “double t” o that Scott? American machines that hae nocht tae dae wi Glesga! An echo o whit micht hae bin....

Why did the Flying Scots no survive as ane o cyclin’s leadin marques? The 1970s wir a time o industrial depression an recession; mair warkin fowk drave motors tae wark. Interest in cyclin hud waned. The Scots went tae the wa juist a year or sae afore the new craze fir mountain bikes taen aff – hud they limped oan fir anither year then wha kens? Mibbes we wid hae seen rael Scots breengin doun the Champs Elysées oan Sunday? Alas, as wi ither great Scottish (an English) marques we anely hae rerr survivors an ghaists!

Oan sunny days ah nou tak ma 1956 Flying Scot doun aff o its peg, gleamin blue an white wi its “double-box” lining an crossed flag Saltire/Tri-colour “International Model” badge, frame restored tae perfection bi Bob Jackson’s o Leeds (an built up bi that cyclin wizard Johnny Cunningham!), an ride her wi pride roond the back roads o Ayrshire. Aftimes auld yins in the Cyclists Touring Club wull say, “Ah hud yin o thaim when ah wis a boy!” an they gaze wistfully at a thing o engineering an craftsman-like beauty, “pencil-thin” stays an lugwork lik poetry – that pits aa their fantoosh carbon modren guff in the shade. We aa hae oor passions!