2021 Torque 1 Arrives as One of the Most Affordable e-Bikes Around

The urban mobility tool you see is known as the 2021 Torque 1 e-bike. Sure, it’s an e-bike, like a lot of what I talk about, but what makes this little beauty so appealing is its price. For a measly $1,199 (€981 at current exchange rates), you can now ride with the rest of your electric-minded friends. So how is this possible? Time to find out.

The team behind the Torque 1 is known as Ride Scoozy. Maybe you’ve heard of them, maybe you haven’t. What’s important is that this e-bike manufacturer grew out of a pole barn focused on creating affordable and modern e-bikes for a new mobility age.

Drawing inspiration from European single-speed and fixed-gear bikes, the Torque frame design is like any other urban or street bike. The top tube sits nearly level to the ground but includes a slight downward slant towards the seat tube.

As you can guess, for this sort of price, the frame is surely aluminum. However, the front fork is composed using comfort steel. One aspect I enjoyed about the frame design is the integration of the battery. Based on history, you can guess that it’s hidden in the down tube. That is true, but just look at how sleek and sexy that tube looks.

Since I mentioned the battery, the Torque is equipped with a 36-volt, 10.5 Ah, lithium-ion battery. It may not sound like much, but with it, you’ll be able to attain a range between 25 miles (40 kilometers) and 50 miles (80 kilometers), more than enough if you don’t do any deliveries or anything like that. Once drained, four to five hours is how long you’ll have to pull over for.

As for the motor, which you’ll see mounted on the rear hub, it’s a 350-watt geared brushless unit. Overall, it’ll squeeze out 35 Nm (26 lb-ft) of torque, not much considering e-MTBs, but more than enough to give you up to 20 mph (32 kph) while peaking at 600 watts. The three levels of assist can be controlled from the handlebar-mounted controller.

Helping you stop and maneuver that power is a set of Tektro 160-mm (6.3-in) brakes, all controlled through internal cable routing (ICR). I really enjoy that the team worked out a way to include ICR into the frame design, especially for this price.

Helping give you a smooth ride and as little vibrations as possible, the Torque includes no front fork or rear shock, and so, only the wheels will be relieving some of the bumps in the road. A pair of Kenda 700C x 28 mm tires should do just fine if you keep the bike within its set limits.

Speaking of limits, this e-bike comes in with a weight of just 38 lbs (17.2 kg) and includes a weight limit of 240 lbs (108.8 kg), meaning a 200-lb (91-kg) rider is about all it can take.

Now, you may have noticed I've made no mention whatsoever about any derailleurs, because there are none. For the Torque, all the shifting happens within the motor. Just get on and enjoy the ride.

In my opinion, it’s got to be one of the best buys for the sort of feel you get. Think about it, other bikes that can achieve the same performance can come in at nearly three times as much. Need I say anything else?