Rough Stuff Fellowship Archive

Founded in 1955, the Rough-Stuff Fellowship is the world’s oldest offroad cycling club. Its archive contains thousands of stunning images, hand-drawn maps & documents – an unexpected treasure trove of incredible value & beauty that is now being brought to a wider public by Isola Press. The photos are evocative of a bygone age & a bygone style – a time when you might set off on a bike ride wearing a shirt and tie or a bobble hat, and no ride was complete without a stop to brew up some tea & smoke a pipe. They are also a record of intrepid adventures. RSF riders explored the Lake District, the Cairngorms, the Alps & further afield, and their exploits were beautifully documented by amateur & professional photographers. In their own very British way, these men & women were pioneers, pedalling & carrying their bikes where angels feared to tread. Every mountain bike & gravel bike has followed in their tyre tracks. This book celebrates their style & their spirit. It is a stunning visual resource not only of an unseen cycling history but of British outdoor culture.