Maderna Cycle Systems

Maderna Cycle Systems (MCS) is an Austrian bicycle brand and design office founded in Vienna by industrial designer Paris Maderna. The brand grew out of the Paris Maderna KG and was established as a project label in 1996, with the company itself founded in 1998 within the Maderna KG. Its stated purpose is the development and production of bicycles outside the mountain-bike mainstream, with a strong focus on innovative cargo and urban design bikes. MCS is closely associated with its founder, Paris Maderna, born in Vienna in 1973, who studied industrial design at the University of Applied Arts Vienna under Paolo Piva and graduated in 2009. Since the 1990s he has specialised in the design and construction of pedal-driven vehicles, including folding bikes, cargo bikes, multi-track vehicles and pedelecs. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of the European folding, recumbent and cargo bike movement and of ecological mobility change in Vienna. The brand's first product, the MCS 16" Maderna City Scooter, was a hybrid of scooter and bicycle without a saddle, designed to be folded in one movement so that riders could quickly bridge the distance between public transport main lines and their workplace or home. This was followed by the MCS across the city, the MCS III with saddle and three-speed gearing, and the lightweight MCS IV. MCS also developed recumbent designs such as the MCS TranSport, MCS Cruiser and MCS Roadstar – BUG-E, as well as cargo bikes including the MCS TRUCK 26, the MCS TRUCK 20 longtail and the two-track MCS TRACTOR cargo quad. Beyond series production, MCS has been involved in art and concept projects, notably the Ferdinand GT3 RS tandem recumbent with a Porsche body by artist Hannes Langeder, exhibited at the Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz in 2010 and the Wiener Künstlerhaus in 2011, and featured on the BBC series Top Gear. The brand remains a small, design-led Austrian manufacturer focused on the "last mile" of urban transport.

Maderna Cycle Systems (MCS) was founded as a project brand in 1996 within the Paris Maderna KG in Vienna's Josefstadt district, and later moved to the artists' quarter Grundsteingasse in Vienna-Ottakring. The company itself was founded in 1998 within the Maderna KG to develop and produce bicycles outside the mountain-bike mainstream. From the beginning, MCS was concerned with modern urban transport logistics, particularly the "last mile", and with the search for and development of novel vehicle concepts in transportation design, primarily bicycles, including prototype construction and preparation for series production. The first project, created in 1996, was the Maderna City Scooter MCS 16", a folding bike that could be folded in a few movements. It was a hybrid of scooter and bicycle without a saddle, intended as a mobile complement to public transport, to quickly cover the distance between public transport main lines and the workplace or home. The distinctive feature was that it had pedals but no saddle; the absence of a saddle not only sped up the folding process but also enabled very agile and sporty riding. Based on experience in frame construction and the sporty geometry of small 16" folding bikes, MCS developed the MCS across the city, another sporty variant of the MCS 16", and the MCS III Maderna City Scooter III, a version with saddle and three-speed gearing to appeal to a more comfort-oriented audience. The MCS III fits into the trunk of any small car, a camper van, and can easily be taken on planes or public transport. Its handling makes it an ideal travel companion for sightseeing or small shopping trips. It is built on an articulated-free, stable frame; saddle and stem can be folded or pushed in with two hand movements. Its frame geometry allows agile handling and offers high riding comfort through an upright seating position. The MCS IV is a lightweight version of the MCS III. MCS also developed recumbent bicycles as design experiments in aerodynamics and seating position. The MCS TranSport was created in 1997 based on a Harley-Davidson frame construction. The MCS Cruiser is a further development of the MCS TranSport. The MCS Roadstar – BUG-E is a recumbent designed in 2009, based on bicycle technology and the concept of a cabriolet, with additional electric motor support. In the cargo bike segment, the MCS TRUCK 26 was created in 2004 at the request of a Tanzanian coffee and cocoa cooperative, with a low loading platform to transport four sacks of raw coffee with a total weight of 270 kg from the highlands to the next collection station over sandy, rutted footpaths. For use on European roads, the MCS TRUCK 20 was developed in 2014 from the TRUCK 26 as a longtail bike. These Viennese cargo bikes became widely known partly through cooperation with the cargo bike promoter Heavy Pedals. The two-track cargo bike MCS TRACTOR is a cargo quad developed in 2017 for commercial use, especially for delivery services and craftsmen. Due to its dimensions, it can be used on bike paths, and its loading area corresponds to the size of a standard Euro pallet. In addition to series production, MCS has been involved in art projects. The Ferdinand GT3 RS is a tandem recumbent with a Porsche body by Linz artist Hannes Langeder, developed together with Paris Maderna and MCS. It was exhibited at the Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz in 2010 and at the Wiener Künstlerhaus in 2011, and also appeared on the BBC series Top Gear, Season 15, Episode 5. The Fahrradi Farfalla FFX is the second concept model by Hannes Langeder together with Paris Maderna and MCS, in search of velo art in a sub- and counterculture. Paris Maderna, born in Vienna in 1973, studied industrial design at the University of Applied Arts Vienna under Paolo Piva and graduated in 2009. Since the 1990s he has been active as an industrial designer specialising in the design and construction of pedal-driven vehicles. He is considered one of the pioneers of the European folding, recumbent and cargo bike movement and of ecological mobility change in Vienna. He is the founder of the design, development and manufacturing office Maderna Cycle Systems (MCS Bike), which for several years has specialised under his leadership in urban transport concepts within the socio-political considerations under the keyword "last mile".

• 2017

  MCS TRACTOR two-track cargo quad developed for commercial use.

• 2014

  MCS TRUCK 20 longtail bike developed from the TRUCK 26 for European roads.

• 2011

  Ferdinand GT3 RS exhibited at the Wiener Künstlerhaus.

• 2010

  Ferdinand GT3 RS tandem recumbent exhibited at the Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz.

• 2009

  MCS Roadstar – BUG-E recumbent with electric motor support designed; Paris Maderna graduates from the University of Applied Arts Vienna.

• 2004

  MCS TRUCK 26 cargo bike developed at the request of a Tanzanian coffee and cocoa cooperative.

• 1998

  MCS founded within the Maderna KG to develop and produce bicycles outside the mountain-bike mainstream.

• 1997

  MCS TranSport recumbent created based on a Harley-Davidson frame construction.

• 1996

  MCS founded as a project brand within the Paris Maderna KG in Vienna's Josefstadt district; first project, the MCS 16" Maderna City Scooter, is created.

Design-led, niche manufacturer of innovative urban and cargo bicycles, focused on the "last mile" of public transport and ecological mobility.

• MCS 16" Maderna City Scooter

  First project (1996), a folding hybrid of scooter and bicycle without a saddle, designed for public transport complement.

• MCS across the city

  A sporty variant of the MCS 16" folding bike.

• MCS III Maderna City Scooter III

  Version with saddle and three-speed gearing, fits in small car trunks and public transport.

• MCS IV

  Lightweight version of the MCS III.

• MCS TranSport

  Recumbent created in 1997 based on a Harley-Davidson frame construction.

• MCS Cruiser

  Further development of the MCS TranSport recumbent.

• MCS Roadstar – BUG-E

  Recumbent designed in 2009 with electric motor support, based on bicycle technology and cabriolet concept.

• MCS TRUCK 26

  Cargo bike created in 2004 for a Tanzanian cooperative, with low loading platform for 270 kg of raw coffee.

• MCS TRUCK 20

  Longtail bike developed in 2014 from the TRUCK 26 for European roads.

• MCS TRACTOR

  Two-track cargo quad developed in 2017 for commercial use, with loading area of a Euro pallet.

1. 1MadernaCycleSystems official websitemcsbike.com
2. 2Paris Maderna | Mobilität entdeckenmcsbike.com
3. 3Zur Geschichte von MCSmcsbike.com
4. 4Maderna Cycle Systems - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
5. 5Maderna Cycle Systems - Wikidatawikidata.org