| eZee Torq Owner Reviews |
By Russell Scott |
Published
01/29/2006
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eZee
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eZee Torq Owner Reviews
 Current Rating: 8.7 / 10Reviewers: 7
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Reviewer: |
Tony Flecchia
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Purchased From:
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50 Cycles
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Purchase Price:
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£1195.00
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Time Owned:
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5 Months
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Local Terrain:
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Very Hilly
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Strengths:
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Fast and powerful on the flat and moderate slopes. Very good fast handling and stability. Good image. Fully equipped. Hardly shows it's an electric.
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Weaknesses:
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Weak rear roller brake. Not suitable for short riders below 5 foot 6 inches. Needs attention to waterproofing if riding in wet weather. In country with hills 1 in 8 (12%) or more, only suitable for fit riders due to both motor and derailleur gearing being for speed rather than hill climbing.
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Summary:
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A bike which is huge fun to ride, but also practical at the same time. A "real" bike which creates a favourable impression with other cyclists, also youngsters who beg to try it out.
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Overall
Rating:
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  (8 / 10)
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Reviewer: |
John Plested
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Purchased From:
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eBay
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Purchase Price:
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£850.00
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Time Owned:
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3 Months
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Local Terrain:
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Moderate Hills
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Strengths:
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Well made, fast, good range.
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Weaknesses:
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Poor hill climber
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Summary:
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Fantastic bike to ride on a journey of 25/30mls.
I have changed the front chain ring to 44 teeth to give me better hill climbing at a slight loss of top speed
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Overall
Rating:
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(9 / 10)
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Reviewer: |
Struan Hellier
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Purchased From:
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50 Cycles
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Purchase Price:
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£1,095.00
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Time Owned:
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1 Month
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Local Terrain:
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Moderate Hills
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Strengths:
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Exceptional speed on the flat, good looks, solid build with high quality cycle parts, powerful, comfortable, good range, light.
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Weaknesses:
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Weatherproofing, hill climbing ability - though I would not overstate this as it is a lot better than I expected.
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Summary:
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A superbly made bicycle with a first rate distributor. If you ride in the dry and up no more than moderate hills, you could not make a better choice.
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Overall
Rating:
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(9 / 10)
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Reviewer: |
Ian Fowkes
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Purchased From:
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50 Cycles
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Purchase Price:
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£995.00
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Time Owned:
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8 Months
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Local Terrain:
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Some Minor Hills
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Strengths:
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Robust construction, light weight, good looks, quality components, very fast, long range.
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Weaknesses:
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Hard ride on rough terrain, judder from front brakes.
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Summary:
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A great bike, well designed and built, in the 8 months I've owned the bike nothing has broken or fallen off. This is a bike which is happiest at speed, the motor is a bit sluggish and noisy from a standing start, but with a bit of legwork in a low gear a brisk start is easy enough. The motor really comes into play at about 7 mph and will get the bike up to 16 mph as fast as you can operate the rapid fire gear shifter. Hills are no problem as long as speed can be kept above about 7 mph, much below this and the motor quickly stalls.
One of the main reasons for choosing this bike was the claims of range exceeding 30 miles and it did not disappoint. I chose the NiMh battery(No longer advertised) which has about 10% less capacity than the more expensive but lighter Lion type, in spite of this I can achieve over 35 miles on the relatively level terrain where I live, and even achieved 27 miles on the North Yorkshire Moors where the hills exceed 25%(1:4) although it was necessary to push the bike up the steepest hills, not hard work as the bike will propel itself, only requiring the rider to walk alongside and guide it. The gearing both on the motor and pedal drive is rather high, great for speed but not so good for hills. I replaced the 52T chainring with a 38T and replaced the outer chainguard with a 44T chainring to give me a choice, moving the chain between the rings has to be done my hand as there's no room for a front mech. This has made it much easier for me to pedal the bike up steep hills, why are ebikes not fitted with a wider gear range?
The Torq is a big bike, a big frame on big wheels so it's not particularly suited to small riders, I'm 5'6" so I replaced the steel flip-able sprung seatpost with a rigid alloy type which has reduced the minimum saddle height by about 50mm and saved a bit of weight.
The brakes could be better, the front brake stops well enough but is prone to judder, this can be cured temporarily by cleaning the rim. The rear roller brake lacks "feel" and soon loses its effectiveness on long descents, perhaps a machine this fast should have discs if a suitable mounting could be integrated into the front hub motor.
Overall the Torq is a great bike, but its high geared motor is best suited to the open road where it can get into its stride and stay there. Highly Recommended.
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Overall
Rating:
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(9 / 10)
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Reviewer: |
Stephen Beaumont
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Purchased From:
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50 Cycles
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Purchase Price:
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£1,095.00
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Time Owned:
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3 Weeks
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Local Terrain:
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Moderate Hills
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Strengths:
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Speed, speed and more speed. I use the bike to commute to work (no showers) and need the assistance in order to arrive in a fit state to work. On my return leg, I try to avoid using the throttle (tempting up hills).
It does feel like someone is 'pushing' you along, particularly up hills. I have found that with some effort, the bike devours hills at a pace I could only dream of unassisted. It is derestricetd and as I do pedal onn half my 15 mile journey it's difficult to say re range. It is normally still green when I've finished but I've had a couple of runs where it is amber. I would say c 20 miles is about right.
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Weaknesses:
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The gearing is not good for hills unassisted. To get up some steep hills I'd have to be out the saddle and put in real effort as 25kg in that gearing is not easy. If I had the tech know how I'd have a lower gear at the expense of top speed. Also some brake judder (slight) on the front brake - haven't tried to adjust yet though.
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Summary:
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Much better than I thought it would be. I average over 16 mph for my 7.5m journey (in London, lights etc..) and it is a pleasure to be on a bike again. Now using at weekends too which I wouldn't have done previously. The range is perfect for my trip (15 miles) enabling me to use more juice if necessary. The comfort is that if I do run out it is still good to cycle unassisted. A good buy and I feel fitter already after 3 weeks !
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Overall
Rating:
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(9 / 10)
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For more reviews of this electric bike, please click on the additional page links below.
The opinions expressed are those of the authors/reviewers only. They do not represent the views of www.pedelecs.co.uk
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