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07/13/2020 12:00 AMAn electric bike company born in Branford in 2018 and geared to shake up the industry just tripped the meter with its newest product launch – a beefed up, very evolved electric moped. With its 2 horsepower (1491 watt) engine, The Bandit series powers riders down the road on an e-moped that's the first to be legal to ride in all 50 states without a motorcycle license.
For the past two years, company founder Matt Schell and his team have been working to develop this unique electric moped series that delivers its very desirable horsepower via a customized steel geared hub motor that meets required vehicle operating specifications and is charged by a 1,176 watt-hour removable battery. The Bandit series includes the Standard frame with horizontal crossbar and the newly-introduced Trooper frame with step-through styling.
The Bandit series also incorporates "maximum speed programming" to comply with different speed guidelines among the 50 states. The company additionally took the step to register the design for federal Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) as well as incorporating all required safety features, such as mirrors, horn and turn signals.
Light enough to hang on a standard vehicle bike rack (68 pounds without battery; 82 pounds with battery), but much more substantial than a typical moped, the Bandit series can carry riders of up to 350 pounds and come equipped with features like rear brake lights, dual headlamps and adjustable shocks.
The Bandit moped series also maintains a standing philosophy of Spark Cycleworks to design vehicles to be "customizable, with the right to repair." Spark Cycleworks electric bikes and electric mopeds can be repaired or customized by the owner or any classic bicycle shop, instead of the original manufacturer.
Bringing in the Bandit Series
The company's commitment to a second generation in the moped category was sparked after customer feedback showed an interest above and beyond Spark Cycleworks' popular500 watt-motor. The result was to engineer a unique prototype, "Project Scorpio," which was tested around Branford, said Team Manager Collin Griffeth. The team engineered a dual hub design (front and rear motors) that simulated the target power of the Bandit series.
"We converted one of our standard bikes for our proof of concept into sort of this Frankenstein-looking bike with some wires coming out of it," said Griffeth. "We put the bigger motor on it; we put the bigger battery on it, and we've been riding it around for about a year."
Based on such "real-world" testing, Bandit series' fully charged e-mopeds have a range of 40-60 miles in states with a 20 mph limit; 25-60 miles in states with a 28 mph limit and 20-25 miles in states with a 35 mph limit.
The design's 60-tooth front chain ring is combined with 7-speed derailleur gear that also allows for pedal ability with low gear shifting (up to 30 mph).
Making a Splash
The company is introducing the big news about the Bandit series through its social media and to an ever-growing online fan base of customers from Connecticut and around country.
Spark Cycleworks inventory also includes its unique electric bike designs such as the Rambler E-Bike, Mountaineer E-Bike, Big Foot E-Bike, Origami E-Bike (foldable) and Lightning E-Bike. The company's Branford showroom has seen steady business since opening in 2018, together with climbing online sales supported by a very creative website (at www.sparkcycleworks.com). Spark Cycleworks' inventory also turned out to also be something folks sought out as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.
"We still saw a pretty steady turnout in our store when we were open [before state mandated business closings] and we completely sold out of bikes during Covid; so I it could have gone a lot of worse," said Griffeth. "I guess when people are stuck inside all day they want to get out and do something."
With the Bandit series design completed by late 2019, the first order of small batch frames went out. The frames arrived in June 2020 so that six consumer-ready models could be built.
On July 13 Spark Cycleworks launched a crowdfunding campaign via Indiegogo by introducing orders for this first-of-its kind series, with the goal of funding special manufacturing tools to make high volume production possible, which will ultimately drive down consumer cost. The campaign and ordering information can be found here ( As of press time shortly after launch, backers were close to reaching the $10,000 flexible goal).
As a show of confidence, the campaign is offering the Bandit series at the high volume production, lower consumer cost of $2,750 with phased shipping available. The first hand-built group of six (three Standard and three Trooper mopeds) will be ready to ship in August, followed by a first production batch of 50 targeted for 2020 holiday shipping (December 2020). Another production batch will be ready to ship in February – March 2021 (priced at $2,950).
The team also released a full video of the Bandit series on July 13, which can be viewed on Instagram @sparkcycleworks
"We think it's going to be a really big splash. In other parts of the United States [mopeds] are huge; so we're expecting to sell a lot of them online," said Griffeth.
More information on all Spark Cycleworks products can be found at www.sparkcycleworks.com or by visiting the company's engineering lab/showroom at 67 North Branford Rd Unit 5, Branford (for hours of service call 800-557-9598).