• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Kynoch Cycling Club

Brassed Off

master brummie
Dad joined Kynochs in 1927 at the age of 14 he left in 1975/6, just failing to get his 50 years in.He helped found Kynoch Cycling Club, and was an active member of the Home Guard there.
He was one of the first shop stewards in the Witton Eng W.shop.
He was an apprenticed universal miller and went on to run the time study/progress office later on.
My sister was in the Research as a tracer( pre photo copiers etc) from 1950 to 1962.
My Brother, Uncle ,Cousin were also there,
Mom worked there also before the War until the start of the family.
 
Re: Kynoch's or I.M.I

A correspondent of mine has an interest in the Kynoch Cycling Club and its members in the 1960s. Does anyone have any information on this association?

Chris
 
Re: Kynoch's or I.M.I

Chris,
I was a member in the late 60's. Club meetings every Thursday night in a nissen hut at the back of the Kynoch site. There was a club run usually every Sunday with stops at various hostelries and tea rooms for lunch and tea. (meet at Witton Island). Also there were a few few members who were serious racing types. As I recall the racing vest colours were white with a yellow and green central band.
The only names I recall are Roger Wilson, Roger Mayfield and Roger Blick.
Sorry that's all I recall, but if anything else comes to mind I'll let you know.
 
Re: Kynoch's or I.M.I

Chris,
A small correction to my first post. I was a member in the early 60's and the central band colours on the racing vest were yellow and blue.
 
Re: Kynoch's or I.M.I

Thanks, Christopher. I have received a further comment following your response:

I was in a Lincolnshire club called East Coast Olympic, based in Grimsby, and we regularly made forays to the Midlands to compete. The big races were selection events for regional teams in the Tour of Britain Milk Race, so we used to be up against clubs like the Kynoch, Wolverhampton Wheelers, Solihull, Coventry, and Edgbaston clubs. The area was a hot bed of cycling with well run events, good prize money (for those days) and good officials. A stark contrast to Yorkshire, where the opposite applied ! I remember the Kynoch lads, but only one by name – Bob Bick (who is in the thread as Bob Blick). He was a stocky rider, with massive legs for his size, and consequently a good sprint finisher.

The big cheese at that time was Hughie Porter from Wolverhampton, who won most of the races, and who still covers cycle racing on TV as a commentator. He’ll be 73-74 years old now...............Graham Webb was a really big star, and in 1967 I was lucky enough to be at Heerlen in the Netherlands when he won the world amateur road race championship........​

Chris
 
Chris,
I joined Kynoch CC as a schoolboy, it was very near to where I lived. I was an enthusiastic cyclist and a wanabee Tommy Simpson, Barry Hoban, Rudi Altig or Antonio Maspes (?) on the track, but sadly my parents did not have the finances required for the kit needed. Uni came next and my practical interest faded, although I still avidly read the magazines (Cycling and Mopeds back then !) I have been a huge fan though ever since.
Living in rural Spain (not The Costas) I've managed to see some of The Vuelta if it comes anywhere near and spookily we live in a village called "Contador".
 
Re: Kynoch's or I.M.I

A correspondent of mine has an interest in the Kynoch Cycling Club and its members in the 1960s. Does anyone have any information on this association?

Chris
My Father Albert Harper helped found the Kynoch CC, and was Secretary for many years.
He organised several road races and was an accredited time keeper, I still have his stop watches.
He also organised the first cross country race in Sutton Park near the Banners Gate entrance across the Longmoor Pool Moor.
I remember him supplying several yellow washing up bowls (gold being one of Kynochs' colours) for the riders to wash the mud off themselves (they were tough in those days)!
 
Re: Kynouch cycling club.

Chris,
I was a member in the late 60's. Club meetings every Thursday night in a nissen hut at the back of the Kynoch site. There was a club run usually every Sunday with stops at various hostelries and tea rooms for lunch and tea. (meet at Witton Island). Also there were a few few members who were serious racing types. As I recall the racing vest colours were white with a yerogerllow and green central band.
The only names I recall are Roger Wilson, Roger Mayfield and Roger Blick.
Sorry that's all I recall, but if anything else comes to mind I'll let you know.
Roger Mayfield here. Well, what a surprise finding this. I tried a few times on a laptop with no success; it didn't even register.I have now upgraded to a tablet. Roger Wilson came from Wales with his family in the mid-50s. About a minutes walk from me. We went to the same school. As far as I know, he went to university and finished up as a professor. The other Roger I always thought was bick, but maybe it was brick. I joined in the summer of '58. The club colours as I recall were one yellow hoop inside two royal blue hoops on a white background. Look forward to hearing from you.
 
Re: Kynoch's or I.M.I

Welcome to the Forum, Roger.

Chris
re a previous reply; "brick" should read "brick". Ah! Just found out why it comes up "brick". I am pressing l but comes up r. Not sure why. Also, infant remember your name. The only Chris I remember is Chris Jones. Looking forward to your next message.
 
Re: Kynoch's or I.M.I

re a previous reply; "brick" should read "brick". Ah! Just found out why it comes up "brick". I am pressing l but comes up r. Not sure why. Also, infant remember your name. The only Chris I remember is Chris Jones. Looking forward to your next message.

Hello Roger

It was Roger Bick and Chris Jones who became Club Secretary after me. We are still riding! Club colours white background with blue and yellow bands.
We still have the jersey.

Audrey H
 
Memories of the Kynoch CC 1963-1976 (John W)

Not sure if this thread is still being monitored but I would like to add some of my memories to it. I happened upon it after a Facebook post in a group mention of the IMI Kynoch Sports and Social.


I joined the Kynoch CC as a 14 year old schoolboy in 1963 and stayed until its demise in the mid ‘70’s. By then we had lost the support of the sports and social and used a meeting room in a large house on Birchfield Rd near Trinity Rd (sadly not somewhere I would go these days).

I have fond memories of working with Al Harper co-organising open race events. We ran the H. Binks Trophy 1st cat and 3/J road races and through I think until 1974. Initially this was on the Bassetts Pole/Drayton Manor circuit and later on the Baddesley Common circuit. The HQ/dressing rooms were in the Baddesley Ensor pit paths.

We also ran the open 25 TT’s from Alrewas Village hall on the K16 (A38). This was a top Midlands event attracting such riders record holding as Roger Iddles, Roy Cromack and June Pitchford.

I must admit I cannot recall a Kynoch CC cyclo cross, I do remember events running from Banners Gate organised by the South Staffs Cycling Association events. Al was a senior official there too. Indeed I remember him getting me and others out at the crack of dawn to stand on the A5 marshalling the SSCA 25. Another memory of Al was that in all the years I knew him he always drove a Triumph car.

Before moving on to other club members I can confirm club colours as blue gold blue on white, I no longer have a jersey but have a photo of myself on the Buttermilk club hill climb. I may be wrong but I thought club nights were Friday

The members I recall - firstly the racers (Dr) Roger Wilson, Roger Bick (short stocky powerful sprinter), Alan Ordidge (suave guy with a liking for top bike kit and fast cars in ‘68 he owned a Porsche 911!), Malcolm Hancock, Jerry Fitzgerald, Ken Evans (trackie),Tom Moore. Bryan Saywell (his dad had a bike shop in Newtown, I got my first road race frame a Carlton Giro d'italia from him) . Some of the above were also first or second claim i.e. they rode for other clubs such as the Bob Maitland’s Concord I think. There were other but I cannot recall names.

Roger Wilson rode the 1967 National Hill climb on Whinatts pass (I have a photo of him on the hill). Roger and I rode the Lichfield Bower grass track c’67 too, he enjoyed more success than yours truly.

On the touring side in the early days Jim Burley and his wife ‘captained’ the club runs. Other names I recall were Nigel Marshall, Ray Layton, Chris Jones and John Stanley. As well as long summer club runs we had many YH weekends in winter joined by some of the racing lads. Broom Hall YH (long since closed) was a frequent venue. Slinging a saddle bag on my fixed wheel track bike I remember winter’s nights on the ups and downs of the Roman road south past Weatheroak Hill to Alcester. We all wore plus ones's and knee length socks in those days. Some of the above also joined me on an epic two week hostelling tour of Northern Scotland in 1967.

The club magazine was the Lions Tale in later years edited by Ray Layton. I do wish I could lay my hands on a copy from those days. All in all my days in the Kynoch were some of the greatest of my early life. I still ride and in giving something back I volunteer for the Sustrans cycling/walking charity.
 

Attachments

  • winnattsrog.JPG
    winnattsrog.JPG
    431.8 KB · Views: 8
Last edited:
Funny you should mention the K16 I raced in the 1950s on the K17 and K15 with my club that I still belong to Midland C&AC Wonder what happened to those courses, changed by the freeways I bet.
 
Memories of the Kynoch CC 1963-1976 (John W)

Not sure if this thread is still being monitored but I would like to add some of my memories to it. I happened upon it after a Facebook post in a group mention of the IMI Kynoch Sports and Social.


I joined the Kynoch CC as a 14 year old schoolboy in 1963 and stayed until its demise in the mid ‘70’s. By then we had lost the support of the sports and social and used a meeting room in a large house on Birchfield Rd near Trinity Rd (sadly not somewhere I would go these days).

I have fond memories of working with Al Harper co-organising open race events. We ran the H. Binks Trophy 1st cat and 3/J road races and through I think until 1974. Initially this was on the Bassetts Pole/Drayton Manor circuit and later on the Baddesley Common circuit. The HQ/dressing rooms were in the Baddesley Ensor pit paths.

We also ran the open 25 TT’s from Alrewas Village hall on the K16 (A38). This was a top Midlands event attracting such riders record holding as Roger Iddles, Roy Cromack and June Pitchford.

I must admit I cannot recall a Kynoch CC cyclo cross, I do remember events running from Banners Gate organised by the South Staffs Cycling Association events. Al was a senior official there too. Indeed I remember him getting me and others out at the crack of dawn to stand on the A5 marshalling the SSCA 25. Another memory of Al was that in all the years I knew him he always drove a Triumph car.

Before moving on to other club members I can confirm club colours as blue gold blue on white, I no longer have a jersey but have a photo of myself on the Buttermilk club hill climb. I may be wrong but I thought club nights were Friday

The members I recall - firstly the racers (Dr) Roger Wilson, Roger Bick (short stocky powerful sprinter), Alan Ordidge (suave guy with a liking for top bike kit and fast cars in ‘68 he owned a Porsche 911!), Malcolm Hancock, Jerry Fitzgerald, Ken Evans (trackie),Tom Moore. Bryan Saywell (his dad had a bike shop in Newtown, I got my first road race frame a Carlton Giro d'italia from him) . Some of the above were also first or second claim i.e. they rode for other clubs such as the Bob Maitland’s Concord I think. There were other but I cannot recall names.

Roger Wilson rode the 1967 National Hill climb on Whinatts pass (I have a photo of him on the hill). Roger and I rode the Lichfield Bower grass track c’67 too, he enjoyed more success than yours truly.

On the touring side in the early days Jim Burley and his wife ‘captained’ the club runs. Other names I recall were Nigel Marshall, Ray Layton, Chris Jones and John Stanley. As well as long summer club runs we had many YH weekends in winter joined by some of the racing lads. Broom Hall YH (long since closed) was a frequent venue. Slinging a saddle bag on my fixed wheel track bike I remember winter’s nights on the ups and downs of the Roman road south past Weatheroak Hill to Alcester. We all wore plus ones's and knee length socks in those days. Some of the above also joined me on an epic two week hostelling tour of Northern Scotland in 1967.

The club magazine was the Lions Tale in later years edited by Ray Layton. I do wish I could lay my hands on a copy from those days. All in all my days in the Kynoch were some of the greatest of my early life. I still ride and in giving something back I volunteer for the Sustrans cycling/walking charity.
I raced against Bob Maitland a few times, He later joined the Solihull CC he passed n a few years ago. Real nice chap very friendly.
 

Attachments

  • NCU Champ 25 001.jpg
    NCU Champ 25 001.jpg
    162 KB · Views: 14
I raced against Bob Maitland a few times, He later joined the Solihull CC he passed n a few years ago. Real nice chap very friendly.
Maybe you also encountered Bob's TdeF team mate and Concord clubman Stan Jones. Stan mixed socially with us Kynoch lads in the closed season.
 
Raced against him a few times also. Solihull CCC had a few members that Bob was friends with I remember, Stan Bray was one, a friend of Bob Maitlands
 
I remember Roger Bic or Blick from Kynoch, especially at the Salford Bridge track. One evening I was struglling towards Drayton Manor on a training ride and the biggest group of cyclists ive even seen came past me at speed and Roger was in the middle
 
I remember Roger Bic or Blick from Kynoch, especially at the Salford Bridge track. One evening I was struglling towards Drayton Manor on a training ride and the biggest group of cyclists ive even seen came past me at speed and Roger was in the middle
Would be the Concorde 'chain gang' ahem training ride. Meeting up at Mere Green on Wednesday in the summertime it set off North on various routes. Rode it many time dropped many times.
 
Back
Top