A history in outline of portable cycles in the UK

Authors: Tony Hadland & John Pinkerton, foreword by Mike Burrows
ISBN: 0 9507431 7 8 spiral bound.
ISBN 0 9507431 8 6 hardback.
Publisher: Dorothy Pinkerton (June 1996)
Format: Full colour cover 210mm x 160mm, 154 pages, 123 monochrome illustrations.
Stockists: Pinkerton Press, Veteran-Cycle Club.
Bookshop prices: Spiral bound: UK £9.45, Hardback: UK £13.95 (suggested for UK)

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It's In The Bag! was co-authored with leading British cycle historian John Pinkerton. Cycle designer Mike Burrows wrote the foreword. The book provides an outline history of UK-produced portable cycles - not only folders, but also separables and compressibles. Many interesting or influential imports are also covered. The authors set out to establish an accurate account of the development of portable cycles. In so doing they aim to dispel the common myths and errors that have grown up around the subject.

With a background of cycling and cycle mechanics, and an interest in the literature on the subject, the authors are well equipped to undertake the task of researching the developments and 'inventions' that have affected portable cycle design.

Tony Hadland has concentrated on the period from when the mould-breaking Moulton was launched in the 1960s up to early 1996, while John Pinkerton has covered the time from the Victorian era through to the 1960s. Their research has been based wherever possible on primary sources, with reference to designers and manufacturers in many cases. This has resulted in a wide range of unusual and sometimes even bizarre portables being covered. Little has been missed.

The book will be essential reading for all with a general interest in portable cycles. It provides an authoritative source of reference for anyone with a serious interest in transport history. There is an index and a comprehensive list of references.

Click here for the free online 2001 supplement to It's in the Bag!