Bicycles

This ultra-adjustable tandem cargo ebike is a minor engineering wonder

This ultra-adjustable tandem cargo ebike is a minor engineering wonder
The Pino Steps is an ultra-adjustable hybrid tandem cargo ebike
The Pino Steps is an ultra-adjustable hybrid tandem cargo ebike
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Handlebars are adjustable for width, length and angle
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Handlebars are adjustable for width, length and angle
The Pino's wheelbase changes with the passenger's leg length
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The Pino's wheelbase changes with the passenger's leg length
Nobody on the front? Load up with cargo instead
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Nobody on the front? Load up with cargo instead
The Hase Pino Steps is one of the oddest and most versatile ebikes we've seen
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The Hase Pino Steps is one of the oddest and most versatile ebikes we've seen
The Pino Steps is an ultra-adjustable hybrid tandem cargo ebike
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The Pino Steps is an ultra-adjustable hybrid tandem cargo ebike
Adjustable front seat handles passengers as short as a meter
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Adjustable front seat handles passengers as short as a meter
View gallery - 6 images

Well, here's one of the weirdest and wackiest ebikes we've ever seen. Germany's Hase Bikes has reinvented its Pino semi-recumbent tandem cargo ebike to offer a massive adjustment range, allowing riders from tall to small to hop on the front and go.

To put it mildly, this thing isn't going to win any beauty contests with its awkward proportions, different sized wheels, bizarre angle-and-width-adjustable vertical handlebars and masses of configurable tandem hardware hanging off the front. But it's fair to call this one of the most hyper-practical family bikes on the market.

Electrically, the Pino Steps version runs a 250-watt Shimano Steps E6100, a mid-tier mid-drive motor with a 504-Wh battery that'll handle most round-town trips. There are also non-electrified Tour and Allround versions that relegate pedal assist duties to whoever's on the front.

In a considerable step forward from the 2013 non-electric model, the front passenger accommodations are now hyper-adjustable, pulling in to handle kids as small as a meter (3 ft 3 in) tall, while simultaneously adjusting the wheelbase of the bike for additional agility with a shorter passenger and additional stability with a bigger one. The long front chain adjusts itself automatically so you introduce no slack in this process. The engineers have clearly had a ball with this.

The Pino's wheelbase changes with the passenger's leg length
The Pino's wheelbase changes with the passenger's leg length

Recognizing that kids have shorter legs too, Hase also provides an optional adjustable front pedal crank that can increase or decrease the distance your legs need to move, as well as a flip-down motorcycle-style center stand so you can balance the bike vertically while you're getting the kids settled on the front, spraying the chain or loading bags on.

The extendable distance between the wheels allows you to fit a bunch of different underslung cargo options to augment the storage provided by the rear rack, and of course if there's nobody up front, there's a big ol' storage space there too, and you can attach a zip-up carry bin big enough to do a full grocery shop provided you have not brought forth a multitude from your loins.

Nobody on the front? Load up with cargo instead
Nobody on the front? Load up with cargo instead

The whole thing doesn't come apart if you want to throw it in the car, but instead you can shorten the wheelbase, quickly fold down the bars and lower the seat to make it about the length of a regular bike but with half the height.

It's a wacky one alright, but this kind of tandem build looks like a ton of fun on the school run, and the Pino's monster carrying capacity makes it a genuine car replacement option. Sadly it also comes with a genuine secondhand car price tag. The electrified Pino Steps retails for €8,561 (≈US$10,050) before any options are added. Yowch.

Check out a video below.

HASE BIKES PINO 2021 - the new Pino

Source: Hase Bikes

View gallery - 6 images
8 comments
8 comments
Worzel
Not suitable for rough ground. The small front wheel would stop against an obstruction, and the results would be unpleasant.
guzmanchinky
That is a seriously cool bike for two people. I love how the rear rider doesn't have to stare at the back of the front rider's head...
moreover
My brother did a tour of the Scottish Highlands on an early version of the Pino with his son up front. Given the many inclines they were no speed demons but it was a safe and enjoyable way to tour. That said, the lot of German recumbents suffer from valuing sturdiness over lower weight.
MemoriaTechnica
TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS?!!! I don't care how clever it is, that's a *ridiculous* amount of money for a folding tandem bike. Hard pass.
alohacyclist
This is a variation of the Counterpoint Opus tandem invented by Jim Weaver of Edmonds Washington USA almost 40 years ago.
Trylon
Aside from the adjustable wheelbase, not that groundbreaking. It's just another copy of the Counterpoint Opus tandem first made in the early 1980s by Jim Weaver, now made by Bilenky as the Viewpoint. (New Atlas actually had an article on the Viewpoint last year.)
Hasler
Until you have ridden a recumbent bicycle, you cannot appreciate how well they work and how comfortable they are. Otherwise criticism is simple prejudice, such as suggesting a 20" front wheel is somehow unsafe. I have enjoyed 20 years of safe riding on 20" wheels.
I do accept the higher price, but this a reflection of the volume of production, rather than the cost of materials. So tandems will always be for the few, but really great when one of you is stronger than the other.
BlueOak
Uber cool. The combo of cargo (especially low-slung rack), tandem, and electric. Unfortunately it matters not with a US$10,000 job shop price.

The 20 inch front wheel doesn’t bother me anywhere near as much as the tiny wheels on most eScooters.