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VIDEO: British Engineer Designed and Built a Steam-Powered Bicycle

By Monica Buck

While the somewhat conservative cycling crowd might not get excited at the sight of an e-bike, this motor-propelled bicycle built by 62-year-old Geoff Hudspith is simply irresistible. This straight-out-of-18th-century machine doesn’t only look great, it’s a surprisingly well-thought-out piece of engineering as well. The steam powers a double action single cylinder, that turns a flywheel, which then powers the chain on the front wheel.

“When it’s underway it’s surprisingly well-balanced because the weight of the boiler is balanced by the weight of the water tank on the other side at the back,” Hudspith said in an interview for Business Insider UK.

The top speed is around 20 mph and the bike can go around 10 miles on one tank of water. Plus it even has its own whistle! Who wouldn’t want to buy that? But sadly, you can’t. Geoff Hudspith got many offers over the years, but he turned them all down.

“I even had a bloke in Denmark, some years ago now, who was so taken with it he wanted to swap a house for it. And well, I just thought; ‘Well, you know, is this bloke serious or what?’ You know. I suppose I should have taken the house and just made another steam bike.”