Riding my Pinus: Rattan’s new awkwardly-named e-bike is a lot of fun!
There’s no real beating around the bush here; the Rattan Pinus is one borrowed vowel away from the king of all middle-school humor. But trying to put that aside for just a few moments, the bike itself is actually a really fun ride and pretty darn decent, too. It’s definitely far from a premium-level e-bike, but it’s interesting as a modest budget option!
Sure, funny name aside, there’s actually a lot to like here.
Check out my video review to see it in action. Or if you’re more of a reader, keep scrolling for my written review!
Rattan Pinus Video Review
Rattan Pinus Tech Specs
- Motor: 750W continuous (1,200W peak) rear geared hub motor
- Top speed: 45 km/h (28 mph), though I got a bit higher
- Range: Claimed up to 160 km (100 mi) with second battery
- Battery: 48V with either 20Ah (960 Wh) or 40Ah (1,920 Wh) options (single vs double battery)
- Max load: 181 kg (400 lb)
- Brakes: FastAce hydraulic two-piston disc brakes on 180 mm rotors
- Extras: Torque sensors, LCD display, LED head and tail lights with turn signals, left-side thumb throttle, kickstand, suspension fork, 4″ fat tires, two color options (red and blue), and included fenders & rear rack
What do you get here?
First of all, the bike is quite powerful and fast.
They claim a top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h), but I blasted past that into the low 30s multiple times on flat ground, so there’s something fishy here. Maybe they just underrate for legal reasons like a late 60s GTO, I’m not sure. But any way you slice it, you’ve got a lot of power and speed at your fingertips.
That’s also 28+ mph on throttle-only, which is either “questionably legal” or downright not allowed in many states, since it doesn’t quite qualify as Class 3 anymore.
Of course, you can always limit the speed in the display settings, if that’s an issue for you. But for most people, knowing you’ve got a little more room to push is a nice addition.
Next, the range is quite good. The base bike comes with a 48V 20Ah battery that offers 960 Wh of capacity. They also say it’s a UL-compliant battery.
The claimed range is 50 miles (80 km), though you’ll of course get less than that if you’re flying fast on throttle. But a 960Wh battery is definitely bigger than you’ll find on most e-bikes, so you’re going to go farther than the average competitor.
For those that want even more range, you can get a second battery and double up for twice the range. The second battery mounts on the top of the down tube, and it’s not as nicely hidden as the internal battery, but if you really want 100 miles of theoretical range, getting the Pinus extension is your only option.
Buying that second battery bumps the price up a good bit though. The base model’s $1,699 price tag jumps up to US $2,178 with the double battery option, which is nearly a $500 premium. Ouch.
The rest of the components around the bike are a mix of decent and good. The 8-speed SunRace derailleur? Decent.
The hydraulic disc brakes? Good.
The plastic fenders? Decent.
The LED lighting with turn signals? Good.
The suspension fork? Decent.
The folding system? Good.
It’s a grab bag of various parts, though the premium component that brings it all home is the torque sensor, giving much better pedal assist than you’d expect from a chunky, fat tire e-bike like this.
To be fair, most people will use the throttle on this e-bike most of the time anyway, but it is still nice to know you’ve got some good pedal assist should you decide to pedal.
One other nitpicky thing I found was that the cranks felt a bit long for the bike, and I would occasionally have some pedal strike when pedaling around corners that I could normally pedal around on other bikes. I would also more catch my cranks on obstacles when pushing the bike around more often than I normally do with most of my other rides.
Bikes with 20″ wheels sometimes have lower bottom brackets to begin with, caused by the lower height of the frame. However, the cranks are usually sized accordingly to prevent this from being an issue. I think the Pinus could have benefited from the cranks being a few millimeters shorter, but it doesn’t really affect the usability of the bike, and the longer cranks are nicer for actual pedaling.
Some e-bikes, like SUPER73s for example, can have comically short cranks that result in a funny feeling while pedaling, so a bit of a longer crank is generally better, as long as you remember to splay your pedals forward and backward in the turns, as is good practice on any bike.
Ultimately, the Rattan Pinus isn’t that different from many other 20″ wheel folding fat tire electric bikes out there. Sure, it’s got a funny name, but at the end of the day, it’s still your basic high-power, high-speed, moderate-quality runabout.
There are lots of options in that crowded market, but the Pinus does make a compelling case. I’d have loved to see this come in a bit cheaper than $1,699, and then I’d be more gung-ho about recommending it. As it stands now, I definitely enjoy the bike, and I’d gladly let my friends ride my Pinus any time they wanted. It’s a solid option, but it’s not that different from a lot of other e-bikes out there.
Perhaps that few extra hundred bucks is worth all the jokes to some people, though.
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Environment
Google to invest $25 billion in data centers and AI infrastructure across largest U.S. electric grid
Locals call him the “Bicycle hero,” but Texas man Evan Wayne says he’s just doing what he can to help his community after it was cut off due to the recent devastating and deadly flooding tragedy.
When the local Sandy Creek flooded following torrential rains in Texas, it destroyed the only bridge into one community. Residents were cut off from access to supplies, including everything from necessities like food, water, and medicine to basic comforts.
Although the bridge was impassable to cars, volunteers who quickly organized to help the stranded residents found that the damaged bridge could still be traversed on foot. Or in the case of Evan Wayne, it could be covered by an electric bike.
Evan joined hundreds of volunteers who answered the call of grassroots organizers by working together without any official capacity. While many started by hand-pulling garden carts of supplies uphill to reach the stricken community, Evan jury-rigged a trailer to an e-bike and took on as much of the load as he could, helping shuttle much-needed food and gear into the community over hundreds of round-trip journeys.
“This was a dog trailer 48 hours ago. I had a hacksaw, hacked the top off, grabbed some bungee cords, and here we are,” explained Evan in an interview with CBS Austin, while waiting for the next load of gear to be stacked on his trailer.
In the first two days of the operation, he made around 100 round trips each day, shuttling food and water as well as critical rescue supplies. “Right now, I’m waiting on a couple of chainsaws that I’ll bring in for a crew that’s been going at it with handsaws so far.”
In addition to delivering needed supplies, Evan has often found himself moving something even more important: information. “I’ve flagged down medics. I’ve been the guy that goes between Austin EMT and STAR Flight because I’m quicker than cell phones sometimes, people don’t have signal a lot of the time.”
Evan quickly points out that he isn’t the only one helping. “I’ve got an e-bike, but other people are pulling carts. People are walking, people are carrying things. Everyone is doing what they can.” But there’s no doubt that his ability to carry more gear at higher speeds and make hundreds of round-trip journeys so far in and out of the stricken neighborhood has helped impact countless lives.
“This is all volunteers here. They’re just taking it upon themselves to get people where they need to go. I think there’s an umbrella company coming in, taking over tomorrow, but until they get here, people are just taking care of people, which is what you’ve got to do.”
E-bikes proving their worth in emergencies
While many people consider electric bicycles just another form of recreation, they’ve proven to be potent transportation alternatives after natural disasters worldwide.
Not only do their small and efficient batteries make performing hundreds of rescue trips like Evans’ possible, but recharging can be done simply and easily with a solar panel when electricity is out after a disaster. And when gas stations are out of fuel (or simply can’t pump it with the power grid down), e-bikes can keep running while gasoline-powered motorcycles or ATVs run dry.
Electric bicycle batteries have also proven to be a handy source of emergency power after hurricanes and other disasters, often helping owners keep their phones charged up for days to remain in contact with family or rescue services.
While most hope to never need theirs for emergency purposes, electric bicycles have proven their worth in countless disaster scenarios, adding benefits far beyond just alternative transportation, recreation, or fitness riding.
Image credits: CBS Austin (screenshots), used under fair use
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Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifies during a remote video hearing held by subcommittees of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee on “Social Media’s Role in Promoting Extremism and Misinformation” in Washington, U.S., March 25, 2021.
Handout | Via Reuters
Block jumped more than 5% on Monday, leading a rally in shares of fintech companies as analysts downplayed the threat of JPMorgan Chase’s reported plan to charge data aggregators for access to customer financial information.
The recovery followed steep declines on Friday, after Bloomberg reported that JPMorgan had circulated pricing sheets outlining potential fees for aggregators like Plaid and Yodlee, which connect fintech platforms to users’ bank data.
In a note to clients on Monday, Evercore ISI analysts said the potential new expenses were “far from a ‘business model-breaking’ cost increase.”
In addition to Block’s rise, PayPal climbed 3.5% on Monday after sliding Friday. Robinhood and Shift4 recorded modest gains.
Broader market momentum helped fuel some of the rebound. The Nasdaq closed at a record, and crypto rallied, with bitcoin climbing past $123,000. Ether, solana, and other altcoins also gained.
Evercore ISI’s analysts said that even if JPMorgan’s changes were implemented, the most immediate effect would be a slight bump in the cost of one-time account setups — perhaps 50 to 60 cents.
Morgan Stanley echoed that view, writing that any impact would be “negligible,” especially for large fintechs that rely more on debit, credit, or stored balances than bank account pulls for transactions.
PayPal doesn’t anticipate much short-term impact, according to a person with knowledge of the issue. The person, who asked not to be named in order to speak about private financial matters, noted that PayPal relies on aggregators primarily for account verification and already has long-term pricing contracts in place.
While smaller fintechs that depend heavily on automated clearing house (ACH) rails or Open Banking frameworks for onboarding and compliance may face real pressure if the fees take effect, analysts said the larger platforms are largely insulated.
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