The Book and the Archive

The Rough-Stuff Fellowship was established in a pub near the Welsh/English border in 1955, making it the oldest off-road cycling club in the world. The club welcomed men and women, young and old, their adventures across the UK and the world were documented by many talented photographers. Recently, the club appointed an archivist, and the photos, hand-drawn maps and memories poured in – an unexpected treasure trove of incredible value and beauty. The photos are full of the joy of riding your bike, and evocative of a bygone style – of a time when you might set off on a club ride wearing a shirt and tie, a deerstalker or a bobble hat, and no ride was complete without a stop to brew up some tea and smoke a pipe. Not only is the archive full of beautiful pictures, it is also of historical significance. Among many foreign trips, RSF members completed the first known traverse by bicycle of Iceland’s mountainous interior, in 1958.

In their own quiet, very British way, these men and women were pioneers, pedalling and carrying their bikes and pitching their tents where angels feared to tread. Mountain bikes, gravel bikes, bikepacking – everything followed in the tyre tracks of the RSF. This book celebrates their style and their spirit. 

THE BOOK

From the advert placed in The Bicycle magazine in 1954 calling for founding members, to the Iceland overland report, to trips to Switzerland and Italy in the 1960s, to slogs through the snow in the Lake District, the Cairngorms or Brecon, to beautifully designed old Journals – it’ll all be in there. Naturally the intention is to give the photos centre stage. However, they will be complemented by excerpts from old RSF Journals, ride reports, graphical material and other ephemera from the archive. Where needed ,the artefacts will be professionally photographed. 

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