Bootie (bicycle)
The Bootie Folding Cycle, or Bootie, is a pioneering folding bicycle that was produced by F & T Kitchin Engineering in Stanningley, Pudsey, West Yorkshire UK from 1965 to 1973.[1] It was called the ‘Bootie’ because it was designed to be small enough to store in the boot (trunk in American English) of a car.[2] It was advertised as the bike that could be taken to the countryside in a car and then used for touring, so it holds a unique place in bicycle history as probably the first miniature, folding tourer. Examples of the Bootie Folding Cycle are now exceedingly rare.
Design
The design features a small frame with tiny wheels and fold-down handlebars. Early models were also fitted with a folding seat post, but later ones were fitted with a (very long) conventional seat post, so the only part that actually folds on them is the handlebars.[1]
The folding mechanism for the steering, unique to the Bootie, comprises a solid steel, two-part hinge fitted between separate upper and lower steerer tubes.
The hinge was secured in position with a hand nut of the type used to secure the wheels of many racing bicycles of the era. When loosened the upper steer tube, with handlebars, could be swung over to the side of the frame. Loosening another hand nut allowed the handlebars to be rotated 90 degress so they would fit snugly against the side of the bike.[3]
The frame is mostly of tubular steel without lugs, but the chainstays are made of flat steel strip. The lower end of the seat tube is open, to the rear of the bottom bracket, to allow the seat tube to slide all the way down.
Both wheels are single-piece cast alloy, the front being equipped with sealed ball races. The tyres are Dunlop or Michelin ETRTO size 203 - 62, balloon-type.
The rear hub is a Sturmey Archer combined three speed gear and internal expanding brake (AB) fitted inside the wheel. The drive side flange of the hub was removed for fitting in the wheel. Four screws secure the hub to the wheel through the non-drive side flange.
The front brake is a GB T91 Sprite alloy caliper. The crankset is a steel, cottered mass market unit manufactured by Williams.
Handlebars and stem are conventional chrome plated steel.
A black double sprung mattress type saddle was fitted to the 500 mm long 'L' shaped seatpost.[3]
The wheelbase is around 76 cm (compared to around a metre for conventional bicycles) with an overall length of 120 cm with the foldable front rack extended. The Bootie weighs around 18 kg.[3]
The bike is equipped with mudguards, a built in luggage rack, front and rear lamp brackets and sidestand.
References
External links
- Folding bike history
- Travel with Bikes - Folding Bicycles
- Bootiebike - Includes photographs of many parts of a Bootie undergoing restoration
