Bootie (bicycle)

They have been described as relatively small, true 'jobbing' engineers who were very quirky and willing to make, or 'invent', whatever wasn't generally available, but never big enough to develop their products in the way a larger firm would.

[2] It was primarily designed for ‘last mile’ purposes, but the advertising also appealed to caravanners, boat owners, flat dwellers and fishermen.

[2] The ‘Bootie’ name was chosen because the bike was designed to be small enough to store in the boot (trunk in American English) of a car.

Each hinge was secured with a hand nut which, when loosened, allowed the upper part to be swung over the side of the frame.

In the case of the steerer tube, loosening another hand nut allowed the handlebars to be rotated 90 degrees to fit snugly against the side of the bike.

[1] The Bootie Folding Cycle came well equipped, with mudguards, a built-in luggage rack, front and rear lamp brackets and sidestand.

A black double-sprung mattress type saddle was fitted to the 500 mm long L-shaped seatpost.

[2] The wheels were of single-piece cast alloy, the front being equipped with sealed ball races, possibly a first for the industry.