Having recovered from the journey and spent some time properly getting to grips with the HASE Pino at home it was time to try the bike out for real. I could hardly wait. Lorena and I loaded the Pino onto the bike rack, I also must mention that this THULE rack is fantastic, it's just so easy to put onto and take off the car, it makes transporting the Pino a breeze.

We decided, rather than launch straight onto the roads with unfamiliar handling, to head for a local car park that we knew would be quiet to just get the feel of things and this was going to be the moment of truth, was this bike going to solve the problems it had been bought to solve?

I tried the bike solo first and I was staggered. I found it immediately comfortable and the power from the Shimano E6100 motor was smooth and the motor was quiet, it made a huge difference even in ECO mode. I very quickly got used to the different handling and I found myself riding round and round the car park with a huge grin on my face, I didn't want to stop! Is there such a thing as the "Pino Grin"🙂

Lorena wasn't going to let me get away with it, she wanted to be in the Stoker Seat and to find out whether after all this time we were going to be out riding a tandem around Northumberland again, whether this bike was going to solve the sciatica problem.

Within moment of setting off we both knew that this was a winner and that we had backed the right horse. Lorena found the riding position comfortable and felt safe, all her apprehension about being on the front evaporated and was replaced by the sheer pleasure of a clear view of the road ahead and the wind in her face.

Riding around the car park was not really representative of the reality of cycling in the UK because the surface was good and the area was flat but it was enough to tell us that this bike is going to work for us. I have no doubt that we have made the right choice and I am hopeful that we will have many hours of pleasure now that we are back on a tandem again after a number of years.

It is my intention to continue to write up our experiences of the Pino as we venture further afield and cover more miles. For the moment we are just delighted that this leap of faith has worked out. I also plan to produce a series of videos of our experiences and points of interest which I hope might encourage others to take the plunge.