Energy Economy: 5 Steppenwolfs Per Hour (SPH)
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20131224/carreviews/131219883 Riding the Marrs M1, the hot rod of electric bikes By: Blake Z. Rong 12/24/2013 [images / Blake Z. Rong http://cdn.autoweek.com/galleryimage/CW/20131217/CARNEWS02/121709994/PH/0/7/Marrs-M1-electric-bicycle.jpg Marrs M1 electric bicycle - Brad Fanshaw, riding the Marrs bicycle. Photo by. http://cdn.autoweek.com/galleryimage/CW/20131217/CARNEWS02/121709994/PH/0/8/Marrs-M1-electric-bicycle.jpg Easy Rider, the environmentally friendly edition http://cdn.autoweek.com/galleryimage/CW/20131217/CARNEWS02/121709994/PH/0/9/Marrs-M1-electric-bicycle.jpg Fanshaw and the author agree to race for pinks http://cdn.autoweek.com/galleryimage/CW/20131217/CARNEWS02/121709994/PH/0/10/Marrs-M1-electric-bicycle.jpg Definitely a lot of fun to ride. At $7,500, you pay more for the style. ] An electric bicycle for the all-American set Kacy Marrs was working at a Chick-fil-A when he first met Brad Fanshaw three years ago. Fanshaw is a hot-rodder through and through, an entrepreneur who partnered with Boyd Coddington and turned that name into custom-car superstardom. Fanshaw had run the American Bicycle Association and rode professional BMX before joining a skateboard and clothing company called Vision. Kacy had moved to Southern California from Alabama, devouring every motocross track once he got here; as the general manager of his Chick-fil-A, he was on his way to opening his own franchise when the two paths crossed over cheap chicken sandwiches. Brad knew a good idea when he heard one. Kacy had designed the Marrs M1 electric bicycle in his spare time, then taught himself to weld and built two prototypes. They tested these for a year and a half -- through SoCal's "cold" weather and Santa Ana's 100-degree heat. This was around the time when all those Biker Build-Off shows were getting popular, said Kacy -- and somehow, it hadn't occurred to either of them that electric bicycles, the strand cruisers they saw going up and down the beach, could benefit from such creativity. "Why do electric bikes have to be stupid?" Marrs said. "Why can't we build something cool?" Kacy's result looks like an Indian board track racer, a Triumph bobber from the Nixon administration and possibly a Schwinn Stingray. The springer seat, in fact, does come from a Triumph bin. The front-leaf spring is achingly vintage. A solitary rear brake, a hydraulic disc, is more than effective at stopping the Marrs Cycle's 140 pounds. (Unencumbered by braking filigree, the front wheel looks massive.) And Kacy has a goal to snap up every Harley-Davidson kickstarter pedal on eBay: they are painted gold, then machined to fit. The bicycle is powered by a brushless 3-phase DC motor, attached to a 48-volt lithium battery. The electrical components come from overseas, but the frames are built on a jig in a cramped garage in Anaheim that plays host to Brad's Bonspeed endeavor as well as a 392 Hemi-equipped MOONEYES dragster that hasn't been started since 1976. The air-cooled battery box is welded from aluminum by one of Brad's hot-rod connections. In raw, unpainted aluminum, the cases look rough and sinister. You sit naturally upright atop the springer seat, which is wide, lumpy and thinly padded. From ground to handlebar, the bike is a mere 36 inches tall. The pedals stretch forward almost like a recumbent bicycle. Twist the throttle, and the bike hums with near-instant speed; the big and wide motorcycle tires allow for graceful lean-in. Despite the wheelbase, it's surprisingly agile. The learning curve is nonexistent. Expect 25 miles of riding on a single charge, said Kacy, which takes 5-8 hours. Pedaling from a standstill is cumbersome, but, at speed, it feels like powering through on high gear. Kacy has had to ride it home after the battery ran out. At 20 mph, it's as fast as Marrs could make it while keeping it classified as a bicycle. Kacy claims to have reached 60 mph on a downhill stretch of the PCH, propelled forth by gravity, a 60-volt battery and sheer hubris. "We should totally take it to the Velodrome, race around," said Brad. "Electric bicycle racing -- wouldn't that be awesome?" Since production started in August, Kacy and Brad have sold 10. One went to Australia. Another went to Thailand. And yet another, with custom saddlebags, went to London to a man who rides it every day instead of paying congestion charges on his Aston Martin. James Hetfield of Metallica was the first to buy one. He loves his. He rides it between concerts and badgers Kacy about improvements. That kickstand on newer bikes? Hetfield's idea, possibly. His merely had a detachable stand. The price of a Marrs M1 is $7,500. For the craftsmanship and the handcrafted nature, Kacy and Brad think that's fair. "I mean, there's an electric bike from Germany that costs $50,000," said Brad. "And that's because it's all carbon fiber!" If that's too steep for you, then take this to heart: Next year, Kacy and Brad promise to introduce a new generation of electric bicycle that's half the price. Expect it to look as polarizing as the M1. Because "...the bikes you normally see," said Brad, "They're geeky, they have no personality. This is the hot rod of electric bicycles." On Sale: Now Base Price: $7,500 Drivetrain: brushless 3-phase DC motor, 48-volt battery, one-wheel-drive Curb weight: 140 lbs (with optional 175-lb rider) 0-60: not recommended Fuel Economy: 5 Steppenwolfs Per Hour (SPH) Options: headlight, rear fender, saddlebags, custom seat upholstery (TBA); Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild: A Retrospective" ($18.99) [© 2013 Crain Communications] ... http://www.marrscycles.com/media/ Marrs Electric Cycles https://www.facebook.com/marrscycles [dated] http://www.gizmag.com/marrs-electric-bicycles/23450/ Marrs M-1 wants to be the Harley of electric bikes By Ben Coxworth July 25, 2012 Marrs Cycles [images http://www.gizmag.com/marrs-electric-bicycles/23450/pictures#7 The M-1's smallest battery choice allows a 175-pound (79-kg) rider to travel up to 20 miles (32 km) on one charge without pedaling Image Gallery (8 images) - Marrs M-1 electric bicycles are made with an eye towards hot rods and custom motorcycles http://images.gizmag.com/inline/marrs-7.jpg Kacy Marrs on an M-1 ] You know what one of the neat things about electric bicycles is? It’s the fact that because riders don’t have to rely solely on their own physical strength to propel the things, manufacturers have the freedom to explore designs that aren’t centered around keeping the weight down. Case in the point is the M-1 ebike from Anaheim-based Marrs Cycles – it probably has more in common with a custom Harley Davidson than with anything put out by Specialized or Trek. The M-1 features a mixture of motorcycle, bicycle, and custom-made components The M-1's top speed is 20 mph (32 km/h) Metallica frontman James Hetfield is a Marrs customer The company was founded by Kacy Marrs, who has a background in riding a variety of both bicycles and motorcycles. His business partner, Brad Fanshaw, formerly ran a company that built one-of-a-kind hot rods. Like Fanshaw’s cars, M-1s are built to order. This means that specs can differ from bike to bike, depending on what the client wants. Rechargeable lithium battery packs are used to power a three-phase brushless rear hub motor. The smallest pack (20 amp hours) reportedly allows a 175-pound (79-kg) rider to travel up to 20 miles (32 km) on one charge without pedaling. The bike’s top motorized speed is 20 mph (32 km/h) – anything faster, and it couldn’t legally be classed as an electric bicycle in the U.S. That said, Marrs told us that his company has built personal test bikes that exceed that speed. In the photo below, for instance, he was reportedly traveling at approximately 30 mph (48 km/h). Kacy Marrs on an M-1 M-1s weigh in at about 140 pounds (63.5 kg) and are available in a number of frame colors and wood veneer types – Metallica frontman James Hetfield is apparently getting one made with cherry wood. Frames are made from 4130 chromoly steel, while the components are a mixture of high-end motorcycle, bicycle, and custom-made parts. It’s mainly those parts that put the bikes in the price range of ... well, of rock stars, or at least people who aren't on a tight budget. Expect to pay a minimum of US$7,000 if you want one for yourself. “This price is due to the high quality authentic motorcycle components we use and the labor involved in building our components,” Marrs said. “There is no other company that builds anything as close to a motorcycle while still allowing the product to fall under the electric bicycle category.” [© Gizmag 2014] For all EVLN posts use: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=evln&sort=date Here are today's archive-only EV posts: EVLN: Cycling fanatic enjoys life with a little e-motor assist EVLN: Tesla plans a L3 Superstation network in China EVLN: Fluence production ends w/ BP + EVLN: Chili Peppers frontman&son in GEM without using their seatbelts {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-7-5k-Marrs-M1-the-hot-rod-of-electric-bikes-ts-20mph-tp4667653.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
