“Looks legit”: Police seize bizarre illegal electric mountain bike/scooter hybrid with “more wiring than the average car” – but “genius motorised penny-farthing” praised; “Do they pay road tax?” Anti-cycling bingo; Crunch Vuelta TT + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“Looks legit”: Police seize bizarre illegal electric mountain bike/scooter hybrid with “more wiring than the average car” – but others praise “genius small motorised penny-farthing” and say “don’t punish creativity”
It’s fair to say 2026 has been the year of the police e-bike seizure in the UK (among other things, of course). Officers up and down the land have been nabbing high-speed illegally modified bikes in a concerted, nationwide effort to clamp down on dangerous riding and anti-social behaviour.
Last month, we reported that, according to data supplied by 31 police forces across the UK, 7,049 bikes were deemed to be illegal and confiscated by police in the 12 months to 19 May, compared to the 3,858 seized the previous year, a huge 83 per cent jump.
They don’t always get it right, mind you, but it’s clear they’re trying.
However, of those 7,000-plus illegal bikes seized, I’m not sure any were more bizarre, baffling, or – let’s face it – creatively engineered than this, ahem, work of art in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, this week:
I’m genuinely lost for words, I’ve never seen anything like it.
“Not quite your average push bike…” Ashfield Police said in a rather understated social media post this week.
“Officers from Kirkby in Ashfield came across this rather interesting piece of DIY engineering today. At first glance, it looked like a mountain bike. A closer inspection revealed a scooter motor, plenty of wiring, and enough tape to keep the local DIY shop in business.”
It’s like some niche, forgotten mythical creature, with the head of a bike and the rear end of a scooter. A Velocicooter, or something, I don’t know, I haven’t had my coffee yet.
And it features so much DIY wiring, I’m surprised Vicky McClure and her bomb disposal team didn’t turn up on the scene:
‘Ah come on officer, you can’t tell me that doesn’t look safe!’
The police continued: “The creation was capable of reaching around 28mph. Unfortunately for its rider, adding pedals doesn’t automatically make something a legal electric bicycle.
“To qualify as an Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle, the electrical assistance must cut off at 15.5mph, alongside meeting the other legal requirements. Once a vehicle falls outside those requirements, it may be treated as a motor vehicle and requirements such as a driving licence and insurance can apply.
“At 28mph, this one had officially gone from ‘push bike’ to ‘please pull over’.”
A bit of a corny joke, I’ll admit, but at least Ashfield’s officers know the law concerning electric bikes, which is a plus.
“Unfortunately, the impressive collection of tape and cable ties didn’t include an insurance policy. The vehicle was therefore seized under Section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988,” they wrote.
“Moral of the story: if your bicycle has more wiring than the average police car and does nearly 30mph, it might be worth checking the law before taking it for a spin.”
Unsurprisingly, most visitors to Ashfield Police’s Facebook page were either simply baffled or eager to poke fun at Nottinghamshire’s latest two-wheeled invention.
“Looks legit,” Drew Billham wrote under the photo of all those safe, safe wires.
“That’s mint, I have an old e-bike with 10” wheels but thinking of turning it into a Chopper,” added Dave. Now there’s an idea that could keep Raleigh in business…
Others were just impressed at the engineering skills and creativity that went into this Frankenstein-esque machine.
“You know what? I admire the work that went into that. Guy had a vision and followed through,” wrote Marc. “Shame about the legality of it, but fair play to him for the effort.”
And Michael said: “That is genius, a bit like a small motorised penny-farthing. Get that person a qualification in engineering. Don’t punish creativity, otherwise robots we become.”
A small motorised penny-farthing? Get Jeremy Vine on the phone now, I have an investment opportunity for him…
“Removing cycle infrastructure can only lead to more cars on the road!” Council’s decision to remove protected cycle lane to tackle congestion under fire
Ah, Wandsworth Council, where the car is king.
Or least it is based on the evidence of these ‘highway improvement works’ on Putney Bridge Road in the south-west London borough – which appear to have focused simply on ripping out a protected cycle lane:
Wandsworth Council ripping out protected cycle lane provision @londoncycling.bsky.social @wandsworthcycling.bsky.social
— HumanTravl (@humantravl.bsky.social) September 9, 2026 at 5:24 PM
“Removing cycle infrastructure can only lead to more cars on the road!” the Wandsworth Cycling Campign wrote on BlueSky this morning.
“We think this is the wrong way to handle Putney’s congestion problems.”
And it’s not just cycling infrastructure that has taken the brunt of Wandsworth’s road remodelling.
According to Ethel, the local authority has also “restricted the bus lane operational hours on the approach to the junction”, while another user noted that parking is now allowed in the bus lane outside operational hours.
“WBC hates anybody not in cars,” noted Ethel. I think you’re probably right.
One hand on the Vuelta? Enric Mas puts in time trial performance of his life to limit losses to Primož Roglič as Küng wins stage and Onley tightens grip on white jersey
He’s going to do it, isn’t he?
Enric Mas, the Vuelta’s nearly man for almost a decade, will enter the race’s final two mountain stages with one foot (or at least a toe or two) on the top step of that final podium in Granada, after producing the time trial performance of his life this afternoon.
The red jersey – a rider located on the climbing end of the grand tour racing spectrum – limited his losses to four-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič to just 33 seconds on today’s 31km course, another indicator, if it was needed by now, of Mas’s flying form at this year’s race.
The 31-year-old’s surprisingly impressive performance on a mostly flat, powerhouse-friendly route – evidenced by Stefan Küng’s stage victory over Callum Thornley – means that he heads back into the mountains with a 1.37 buffer on Roglič.
Mas also, rather handily, leads his other big red jersey threat Felix Gall by over three minutes now, the Austrian, unlike his Movistar rival, playing to type on the time trial bike, finishing in 26th and losing 1.28 to Roglič.
After finishing on the Vuelta podium four times during his career, is this finally Mas’s year? Judging by today’s display, and his growing confidence throughout the race, it now seems like it would take either a complete collapse or a tactical masterstroke to dislodge the Movistar leader from the top spot before Sunday.
Elsewhere, Küng’s time of 35.22 was enough to secure the stage win, the second Vuelta victory of his career, and a redemptive one after a period plagued by injury following his serious crash and femur break at Omloop in February.
Oscar Onley will also be happy with his TT this afternoon, the British rider finishing 17th, 1.10 down on Küng but, most importantly, 27 seconds ahead of Jakob Omrzel, Onley stretching his lead over the young Slovenian sensation in the white jersey classification to 57 seconds.
The perils of cycling shoes
Richard Carapaz’s afternoon didn’t get off to the best of starts, it’s fair to say, the Ecuadorian slipping and almost hitting the deck… as he walked to the start ramp in El Puerto de Santa María’s bullring:
El resbalón de Carapaz… 😅#LaVuelta26 #LaCasadelCiclismo pic.twitter.com/VgCzU89lL2
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) September 10, 2026
Oops. We’ve all been there (albeit on the way to the mid-ride café, not in a bullring at the start of a Vuelta time trial). Let’s hope everything picks up from here, Richard.
“Let’s get rid of Guangxi”: Quinn Simmons calls for Tour of California return to replace Chinese end-of-season stage race
In truly shocking news, Lidl-Trek pro Quinn Simmons has called for the season-ending Tour of Guangxi in China to be axed from the WorldTour – and replaced by an American event.
Speaking on the With Pace podcast, Simmons said the absence of historic stage races like the Tour of California was hurting the American racing scene, which is experiencing the same downturn currently being witnessed in Britain.
“The entire peloton wants to do Tour California again, wants to do Utah,” he said. “All the riders, we wanna be here racing.”
And Simmons’ solution?
“Let’s get rid of Guangxi and do a Tour California sometime end of the year or something.” I know, what a surprise from ‘Captain America’.
However, the Lidl-Trek rider noted that the financial pressures of organising bike races, including travel, accommodation, and policing costs, were putting off potential backers.
“The problem is convincing Americans to put something on that loses money,” he said, noting that a major stage races would be lucky to survive for “two or three years at a time” in the US.
“If you want WorldTour teams there, you have to pay us to come.”
Nevertheless, Simmons reckons a series of one-day races, based around the returning Philadelphia Cycling Classic, back this year for the first time since 2016, could be the answer.
“I think it would work maybe a second weekend with Philly, something on the East Coast,” he said, suggesting the races could link up with their Canadian counterparts, easing any logistical headaches for visiting teams.
“But in terms of a big stage race for WorldTour riders, I don’t see it happening.”
King Küng knocks Thornley off his perch… just
Callum Thornley’s lovely time in the Vuelta hotseat, unfortunately, is now over, thanks to Tudor’s Swiss powerhouse Stefan Küng.
View this post on Instagram
King Küng was made to work for the provisional top spot, however, pipping Thornley by just 2.2 seconds, despite leading the young Scot by 11 seconds at the second intermediate time check. Wout van Aert, meanwhile, was forced to settle for fourth as he crossed the line, 20 seconds down.
Hire e-bikes to feature ‘number plates’ to clamp down on dangerous cycling and ‘problematic’ parking – and ban repeat offenders
I’m sure the ‘cyclists should have number plates’ lobby will be delighted…
Callum Thornley back in the Vuelta TT hotseat with early blistering ride
Callum Thornley must really enjoy sitting in an uncomfortable chair, in the heat, with a camera constantly trained on him as he wolfs down a post-race sandwich (undoubtedly one of the most riveting moments of the Vuelta so far, in my book).
After an impressive fourth place in the Monaco prologue, the rising Scottish star is back in the Vuelta time trial hotseat, covering today’s 32km course in 35.25, 27 seconds clear of UAE’s Ivo Oliveira and 29 ahead of fellow Brit Ethan Hayter.
Thornley’s intermediate times are also currently better than a few riders out on the course who were expected to challenge for the win, including João Almeida, Finn Fisher-Black, and Ivan Romeo, so things are looking very good for the flying Red Bull youngster.
His sandwich didn’t look too bad, either. Speaking of which, that’s a proper post-TT meal. Thornley could be sitting by a dual carriageway eating that, nutritional plans and recovery shakes be damned (alright, that’s enough food chat – Ed.).
However, Bruno Armirail and Stefan Küng have just rolled off the start ramp, so Thornley shouldn’t make himself too at home in the hotseat just yet.
All the Fs: Alex Dowsett’s, ahem, unique Vuelta time trial preview
See, this is the kind of insight you don’t get from football coaches:
View this post on Instagram
XDS Astana TT guru Dowsett also came up with a “final F” (that’s a PlayStation game, right?) in the comments on Instagram: “Supporting my Movistar friends”.
Get those Inbetweeners memes ready…
“Do they pay road tax?” Police bike footage of eight drivers’ close passes and call for “a little more patience and consideration” sparks anti-cycling bingo game among furious motorists
In this week’s other police social media news, yesterday we reported on the live blog that Norfolk Constabulary had released footage (with some jazzy graphics and music) of its latest close pass operation, which saw eight drivers pulled over for failing to give the force’s plain-clothes cycling officer enough space on the road.
“How much space should you leave when overtaking a cyclist? The answer is at least 1.5 metres,” Norfolk Constabulary said in the post, which accompanied a video showing the litany of close passes faced by the officer last week.
“During a recent Close Pass operation in Thetford, officers stopped eight motorists whose driving could have put cyclists at risk.
“The initiative is designed to help drivers understand why their actions may have been careless or inconsiderate and to increase awareness of the hazards routinely faced by cyclists.
“A little more patience and consideration can make a big difference in preventing collisions and keeping Norfolk’s roads safe for everyone.”
Which all sounds fair enough, right? Surely nobody could have any problem with that road safety message?
Well, if there’s anything I’ve learned from my many years operating this live blog, it’s to never underestimate angry drivers on the internet. Callum gave us some insight into the murky world of the police’s Facebook comments section yesterday, but there’s been plenty more anti-cycling bingo action since. Get your cards at the ready…
“1.5 metres… shall I drive in the field across the road to overtake you then?” asked Andrew. “This is all well and good in town or decent size roads but on back roads and country it’s sometimes impossible.”
Meanwhile, David said: “They seem to require much less space when squeezing past in a queue of traffic before running a red light though, don’t they…”
First mention of red lights – good stuff, David. Line!
“So what rules are there for cycles’ road positions two next to each other???” asked a clearly confused Andrew. “When a cycles [sic] passes you on the inside can they only do it if the gap is 1.5m?”
Please, please could someone in the government run a public service campaign related to filtering? I can’t take any more of this.
Moving on to cycle lanes (naturally), Don suggested: “If a car driver can be fined for passing too close, then the cyclist should also be fined for not using the provided cycle paths.”
And don’t worry, they haven’t forgot about road tax or insurance.
“Do they pay road tax? No,” said Liam, right on cue, while Jon wrote: “When cyclists pay insurance to use the roads as car drivers do I’ll give them more room, until then I’m happy to carry on as normal.”
And by normal, I take it you mean constantly putting people’s lives in danger on the road, Jon?
And finally, Chris told the police: “Maybe you should also put out something making cyclists aware that they are just as responsible as motor vehicle drivers for using the road safely.
“A lot of them seem to think they have zero responsibility when it comes to road safety and it is all on the motor vehicle drivers.”
I reckon that’s a full house, right?
Thankfully, some (just some though) of the comments managed to give my hand a rest from all that rapid-fire anti-cycling bingo card marking.
“I’m a driver and a cyclist, I’m always shocked at the online hatred non-cycling motorists have for those that do ride,” interjected Gemma.
“Considering that the driver of the motor vehicle is highly unlikely to be the one that is killed through someone being impatient.
“The cyclists, enjoying their hobby, keeping fit or traveling without polluting the environment are risking their lives to do so because modern drivers have no patience and overtake dangerously, hate me or disagree with me all you like but everyone now is in such a hurry that common sense goes out the window.
“Yes, I agree there are inconsiderate people who ride bikes but there’s many more who drive cars and put others at risk just to get somewhere two minutes sooner.”
A fair, balanced, considerate comment about cycling on Facebook? Well, I never. Fair play, Gemma.
Crunch time at the Vuelta: Can Enric Mas hold onto red jersey during flat 32km time trial?
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time. The Matthew Brennan Show is over (until Sunday anyway) and the Vuelta GC battle is back in full swing. And it’s finally poised too, which is a sentence I didn’t think I’d be writing two-and-a-half weeks ago, when Tadej Pogačar was making light work of cycling’s third grand tour.
With the peloton set to head back into the mountains on Friday and Saturday, part one of the Vuelta’s decisive triple bill is all about churning out the watts and getting as aero as possible.
The second individual time trial of this year’s race will see the riders take on a largely flat 32.1km route between El Puerto de Santa María and Jerez de la Frontera. The route is almost entirely pan-flat, on wide, non-technical roads. There may be a long drag to the line, but make no mistake – this is a TT for the specialists and the big burly rouleurs.
Which makes the GC element so intriguing. Enric Mas, who really hasn’t put a foot wrong all Vuelta, currently holds a 2.06 lead over Felix Gall, with Primož Roglič a further four seconds back. The Spaniard shouldn’t feel too much pressure from Gall, a noted non-TTer, whose approach to this afternoon will be focused on shipping as little time as possible.
It’s four-time Vuelta winner Roglič who poses the big threat here. During the Vuelta’s race-ending 24.6km TT in Madrid back in 2024 (when Roglič won the overall and Mas finished third on the podium), Mas lost over a minute to the Slovenian.
So, based on that reference point (when both riders were going full tilt on a flat, albeit slightly shorter route), you’d expect Roglič to make some considerable gains today. However, Mas appears to be in the form of his life – whether that translates to the time trial bike is another matter entirely, of course.
Further back on GC, the white jersey battle between Oscar Onley and the precocious Jakob Omrzel will be interesting, while the race for the stage win is wide open. Ethan Hayter is clearly in form and went so close in Monaco, while Wout van Aert could have his eyes set on adding yet another Visma stage victory to the Dutch team’s staggering haul at this year’s Vuelta. Plenty to keep an eye on then.
Get your notepad out and jot these times down…
View this post on Instagram
Cheers, Vuelta social media team, for this handy graphic letting us know when today’s big hitters are starting. Just remember to take an hour off if you’re in the UK (which means it’s not long until Hayter time).
You’ve heard of Drum and Bass on a Bike – well now it’s time for Burger on a Bike
In our latest instalment of ‘daft things we spotted on the internet’, whatever this is:
View this post on Instagram
Think I’ll just wait until I get to the café, mate.
When you’re not angry at cyclists on shared infrastructure, you’re just mad at dropping your snack
That Mark Brennan lad’s really flying, isn’t he?
Oops…
To be fair to Ned and whoever is in charge of his podcast’s social media posts, I’m surprised we haven’t accidentally started calling young Brennan ‘Cav’, the way he’s going at this Vuelta.
“This will take a long time to sink in and process, but for now suffice to say that we are devastated at the loss of one of cycling’s good guys”
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Latest Comments
My Cervelo with deep carbon wheels has been ridden on road gravel and dirt. its a bike ride it enjoy it Yes I also have a Gravel bike I ride just the same and a city bike too.
@tomlew That's one (very insignificant) positive effect of global warming - I've noticed that the busy season for bike mechanics is now longer than it used to be. Obviously, I would still prefer it if global warming wasn't happening.
Maybe Shimano should allow EVERYONE to create FREE Acct and login to lessons and database and NOT just those already employed in a shop!
I like 1x on the road, but I rode a singlespeed for years so perhaps I'm comfortable with a broader range of cadences.
“In Lancashire I get a message saying whether or not action is being taken, and in one case where the driver ended up in court the police contacted me for a witness statement. Here at least “Operation Snap” seems to lead to actual enforcement.” This statement has definitely been chosen to wind up a certain, Lancashire based cyclist.
@ttudge I now get a response to every submission. I have had follow up calls asking if I am available should a prosecution go to court Excellent. Well done Warwickshire Police, from somebody in Lancashire where where there is never any response to any submission and nobody has ever been prosecuted for any non-contact offence against a cyclist. Do you have any example of an offence where there's an online video and it went to prosecution, and what the outcome was? Or even one where there was a proper penalty and the 'Reviewing Officer' told you the outcome by email or letter. This is the sort of incident I mean for online video (insert 'h' at the beginning of URL) ttps://upride.cc/incident/sk19evu_stagecoach42_closepass/
Up until about 5 years ago, I had very mixed information from Warwickshire Police's OpSnap. Then it changed. I now get a response to every submission. I have had follow up calls asking if I am available should a prosecution go to court. I have had feedback on some of my interactions with the drivers. (Do not engage) Best though is that the reviewing officer has said that it is his job to update me on any cases I wish to follow up. I even started keeping a record of NFAs, warning letters and NIPs. If I had to fill in one of those annoying surveys, I would recommend Warwickshire Police's OpSnap.
Hurra to the European Cycling Industries' manifesto. There needs to be a crackdown on illegal e-bike mods.
@IanMK But Davies was charged with causing death by careless driving, which is an offence under the RTA, therefore the RTA must apply. You seem to have missed the fact that the employee went to trial.
*Sound of brain imploding in the Surrey area*
16 thoughts on ““Looks legit”: Police seize bizarre illegal electric mountain bike/scooter hybrid with “more wiring than the average car” – but “genius motorised penny-farthing” praised; “Do they pay road tax?” Anti-cycling bingo; Crunch Vuelta TT + more on the live blog”
This is road.cc. Please put this story where it belongs on bizarreelectricmountainbikescooterhybrid.cc. Sheesh.
This is an eBay sale for the complete wiring loom for a land rover, probably not an early mark
1000000141
Although, not anywhere in the actual blog item. 🤔
Presumably the pedals are just footrests?
If they rotate much below the horizontal, they will hit the ground.
Is that 30p Lee’s creation?
“When a cycles [sic] passes you on the inside can they only do it if the gap is 1.5m?”
CyclingMikey’s great video explaining the difference:
Some illegal electric bike enforcement in the London Borough of Sutton
@Steve K I have no issue with clamping down on ‘illegal ebikes’ (using the shorthand for convenience) but I’m curious what powers they have over a shop selling / fitting the mods. My understanding is that it’s not illegal to sell / buy the kits, only to use them on the road without insurance, helmet, licence etc.
It seems to be some sort of aiding and abetting- the shop has been told it might face prosecution if the bikes are used illegally.
Good spot!
I think this may be a good idea, although it sounds a bit “one at a time” which is unlikely to change the bigger picture I’d guess?
Plus others have informed me that a) this isn’t legally possible currently and b) just because it could be possible (with additional law changes though eg. we do regulate gun sales) it isn’t a good idea. (Either because a few people might have legitimate uses and/or “it’s easy to get round” – so apparently not worth the effort?)
@chrisonabike No idea – I was just sharing what I saw on local Facebook, posted by a local councillor with info from the local police!
@Steve K
Would be interesting to know if any car mechanics/garages faced the same threat of prosecution if someone uses a vehicle that they had modified…
Hear me out. What we do is we post videos of shit driving online and we just give points and bans to everyone who comments on them with utterly moronic takes such as
“When cyclists pay insurance to use the roads as car drivers do I’ll give them more room, until then I’m happy to carry on as normal.”
Thats an admission that you intentionally don’t pass cyclists safely because…you don’t think they pay insurance to be on the roads. In fact, I might go so far as to just ban that one for such a high level of stupidity that they clearly cannot be safe behind the wheel.
or
“1.5 metres… shall I drive in the field across the road to overtake you then?”
Perhaps this one could be set a tricky quiz and for every minute it takes for them to answer the question of “what should you do if you can’t give a cyclist 1.5m to overtake” they get 3 points. I’d probably be generous and cap the points at 12.
@mctrials23 100%
These admissions in black and white should have consequences.
The bit on Richard Carapaz’s shoes is not the point of interest in that snip.
In this era of female cyclists being under scrutiny for how much padding is necessary for modesty, and Jan-Willem van Schip being banned from races for turning up, what in the actual seven hells is that POC helmet?
@ROOTminus1 Much the same comments were made chez Harris as we watched “as live” this evening, general consensus being it probably wasn’t the shoes that caused the slip but a gust of wind catching the monstrous millinery.