Meet the Cowboy, a pedal-assisted electric bike, equipped with a detachable battery, proving e-bikes can actually look amazing. The Cowboy still has its flaws, but the 2019 prototype equipped with GPS anti-theft tech is a very good e-bike that does what other e-bikes like VanMoofs and Amplers can’t: it allows you to leave your heavy bike outside while you take the battery inside to charge. The best part is that the Cowboy runs around $1100 less than other e-bikes.
The bike has a battery bulge that’s attached parallel to the backside of the seat tube. This is a trick that lets this e-bike resemble the clean lines of its competitors with integrated batteries.
You probably never heard of Cowboy, but the Belgian startup has only been selling its e-bike ($2,300) in Belgium for the last year, currently counting on 40 full-time workers. Now, the company has raised €10 million in funding, envisioning a change to start shipping the e-bike to other countries. And it already started. The 2019 Cowboy entered mass production in Poland, with its shipping beginning in July, to Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, and France; with more countries to come.
The Cowboy is a late-model prototype, and as said before, it might still have a flaw or two. Beginning with the mud guards, the Cowboy doesn’t have any, and the company doesn’t offer them as accessories. People like urban workers need them when it rains to help avoiding road splatter. It’s important to note that the bike also lacks a kickstand, something that every bike should have. Despite the fact that Cowboy will happily recommend accessories that’ll fit, that’s not what you expect when dropping over $2000 on a bike. Fortunately, these problems will soon be fixed.
Cowboy’s mudguards will be the first accessories released, and are coming after the summer, right after the first 2019 e-bikes are delivered. Cowboy’s co-founder Adrien Roose commented on this “When we do start selling mudguards I want us to be proud of them, and not just be a piece of metal or plastic that completely ruins the design of your bike. We’re taking another approach. More on that soon.” If you do buy the Cowboy, you’ll be able to order the mudguards later, with other Cowboy-made accessories coming after.
The 2018 Cowboy was majorly criticized because of its dependency on a smartphone: the e-bike can only be turned on with the Cowboy app. Having to get your phone out of a pocket or purse just to ride your bike can be truly annoying. But luckily, Cowboy says it will have a solution for this as well, although not right at the release of the 2019 Cowboy. In the future, 2019 Cowboy e-bikes will have the option to be turned on without the app by inserting the removable battery into the bike. It hasn’t been decided yet, but odds are that the owner will have to insert the key that locks the battery into place, eject the battery slightly, and then connect it back in, with a simple click. Roose stated that they didn’t want to add a physical button to the bike because anybody could just turn it on. This ensures the e-bike is tied to the owner either through a physical key or the app. Cowboy’s bikes already feature an auto-off timer, turning the bike off after a pre-determined time of inactivity.
Riding the Cowboy is almost the same as riding an Ampler Curt, putting the rider in a sporty position. Both these bikes are equipped with a single belt-driven gear and have 250W rear-hub motors that are super silent. Both are very lightweight, although the Cowboy is a bit heavier, close to an extra 36 pounds. However, the Cowboy has much more power when standing still, which makes it easier to get it started when on low-battery life or when stopped on an incline. The torque sensor on the Cowboy is better tuned for aggressive riding styles. Pushing lightly on the pedal makes the motor transmit a light touch, without feeling weak. Pushing harder makes the bike give a strong response.
Despite the prototypes not having this functionality yet, the first releases will be equipped with a rear light that intensifies when braking.
In case your Cowboy is stolen, you can track it down using the Cowboy app via GPS. Every bike has real GPS. You can then narrow your search with a Bluetooth beacon in case your bike has been hidden inside a building. This will be a free feature on any new Cowboy. This feature is carried over from the 2018 Cowboy bikes. You can use the app by mounting your smartphone on the handlebars as well as when away from the bike. In the app’s dashboard you can find real-time information like navigation, power usage, and range, also tracking your ride history. You can also use the app to chat with a spokesperson from the company’s 10-person support team. The app is required to turn the lights on and off. The bike calls home every other time, to report on its health, proactively alerting you if any issue shows up.
The bike will turn hard to pedal without power due to its single gear. Cowboy stated that the e-bike uses the latest Samsung 21700 lithium ion battery cells, instead of traditional 18650 cells, having a compact 360Wh battery that allows its user to ride the bike for a max of 43.4 miles (the same as 70km). It only takes 3 hours to fully charge the battery. The bike can be switched from the original 25km/h or 15.5 mph (the EU limit) to 30km/h or 18.6 mph, after swiping away a pop-up disclaimer. The belt drive is clean and maintenance free. The hydraulic brakes work super well, and the saddle is built for speed, instead of long-distance comfort. The battery indicator is built into the top of the tube and can become hard to read when under the sunlight. The handlebar grips are super comfortable, and they aren’t too squishy or too hard. It’s important to note that the bike is only available in black. The bike is weighted toward the back, since that’s where you find the battery and rear-hub motor, but it doesn’t really affect day-to-day riding.
Cowboy bikes will be found in 500 bike shops, averaging 100 per launch country by the end of June. The shops’ locations can be found in the app. The company will bring its e-bike to your home, letting you perform a test ride. This will start with 24 cities around Europe, expanding to 50 by the end of the summer. According to Roose, 1 out of every 3 people that test ride a Cowboy buy one.
Cowboy’s business model focuses on slow growth instead of a global launch. This was confirmed with a statement made by Roose “Our success depends half on the product and half on the service.” This doesn’t necessarily ensure that this second-generation bike won’t have any problems, but if you buy one, you can be assured that a support network will be available to help you out.
Starting in Europe at €1,990 ($2254.27), the e-bike with a detachable battery is an amazing purchase for those who can actually afford it, but make sure you’ve got some extra cash ready, for its upcoming accessories.
