Torq 'lookalike' in U.S.?

[coops]

Take a look & see what you think - similar styling, power output, weight & two-tone paint job, but smaller 26" wheels, 20mph speed, rear(!) motor, six gears & front sus forks - has someone done their homework (apart from the forks )?! Or is it merely a 'parts bin' job? (I'm sure I've seen that battery case before...) anyone have any more info on the origins of this bike? I think it bears more than a passing resemblance to the Torq, apart from the colour obviously, but with some curious differences too .

Stuart.

 

[prState]

And the price is like half of what the Torq sells for here currently. (of course, I'm like, what's the catch?). I'm thinking the peak power for the old Torq is at least 500 though???

 

[flecc]

No, this is different, a typical Chinese mix. Nearly all these frames look similar due to the need for the battery to protude through the upper A frame tubes, in turn dictating the sloping crossbar.

That 400 watt peak motor pops up in various Chinese bikes. The 8fun motor the Quando and old Torq uses has a 576 watt peak and has different casings.
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[coops]

And the price is like half of what the Torq sells for here currently. (of course, I'm like, what's the catch?). I'm thinking the peak power for the old Torq is at least 500 though???

The catch may be in quality, support, and research & design I suppose, and the peak input power of the Torq is around 540-570W (@ 36-38V) but after inefficiency losses the peak output power would be rather nearer to 400W, e.g. 432-456W @ 80% efficiency or 405-427W @ 75% efficiency. The 'lookalike' is 400W peak output.

Don't you think there's at least a passing resemblance, flecc? I mean, as if someone has tried to make an 'almost copy' - I find the differences curious too, apart from the almost obligatory sus forks .

Stuart.

 

[flecc]

Yes their is definitely a resemblance, but I've seen it in a few others too. Some tweak it like Wisper, curving some tubes to make theirs look different, but essentially they're all the same. And that of course is why the two F series and the Torq look the same.

As soon as a 36 volt battery in the frame is specified and the bike is wanted to be mass market, this shape almost automatically follows.

The only alternatives are carrier mounted batteries like Heinzmann and Pacific which are far from ideal, or oddball battery mountings like Swizzbee and BionX, both allowing diamond or cruiser frames, but neither popular in the mainstream MTB loving market.
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