page_title: Bootie (bicycle)
section_title: Folding mechanism
hierarchical_section_title: Bootie (bicycle) / Folding mechanism
caption_attribution_description: English: Cast alloy front wheel of Bootie Folding Cycle showing original spec Michelin balloon tyre 62 x 203
context_page_description: The Bootie Folding Cycle, or 'Bootie', is a rare folding bicycle produced in West Yorkshire UK from 1965 to 1973.
context_section_description: The Bootie featured a then-unique way to fold the handlebars and seat out of the way. This comprised a solid steel, two-part hinge fitted midway on the steerer and seat tubes.
  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. 
  Only the very earliest examples had both a hinged seat tube and handlebar stem. Within a year or two of introduction the hinged seat tube was replaced by a conventional seat tube with a long seat post that could be slid down or removed altogether. The lower end of the seat tube was open, and to the rear of the bottom bracket, to allow the seat post to slide all the way down.
  With the change to a conventional seat tube the only part of the Bootie 'Folding' Cycle that actually folded was the steerer tube (i.e. the handlebars).
caption: Original type 62 x 203 Michelin balloon tire on front wheel of Bootie Folding Cycle
exif: {}