INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Electric-bike maker Cowboy recently let me spend a couple of weeks with one of their e-bikes
It’s a well-designed e-bike that makes biking effortless, even if you’re going uphill.Cowboy is a Brussels-based startup
The company raised a $3 million seed round a couple of years ago and an $11.1 million (€10 million) Series A round last year.The company
designs e-bikes from scratch
Components feel more integrated than in a normal e-bike
And it also opens up some possibilities when it comes to connectivity and smart features.Cowboy sells its bikes directly to consumers on its
It is currently available in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria for €2,000 ($2,220).I rode 70 kilometers (43 miles) in
the streets of Paris to try it out
For context, riding a bike in Paris is nothing new for me
I primarily use my non-electric bike to go from point A to point B — bikes are commuting devices for me
And given that Cowboy is primarily designed for densely populated cities, I thought I’d give it a try.From the outside, the Cowboy e-bike
It features a seamless triangle-shaped aluminum frame, integrated lights and a low-key Cowboy logo near the saddle
The handlebar is perfectly straight like on a mountain bike
The only sign that this is an e-bike is that the frame is much larger below the saddle.The e-bike is relatively light at 16 kg (35 lbs)
Most of the weight is at the back of the Cowboy e-bike because of the battery
But an investor in the startup told me that it wasn’t a problem and that he was even able to attach a baby seat at the back.There are two
things you’re going to notice quite quickly: there are no gears and there’s a rubber and fiberglass belt
Cowboy has opted for an automatic transmission — motor assistance kicks in automatically when you need it the most, such as when you start
pedaling, accelerate or go uphill.If you usually ride on a normal bike, this feels weird at first
I constantly shift from one gear to another
With the Cowboy e-bike, you have to trust the bike and forget about gears.The electric motor kicks in a second after you start pedaling
It means that you are much faster than people using regular bikes
And you can reach a speed of 30 to 35 kmph in no time (18 to 22 mph)
Yes, this bike is fast.Fortunately, the brakes work surprisingly well
You have to be careful with them
If you’re braking too hard, you’ll skid, especially if it’s raining.I was able to ride from one end of Paris to another without
Sure, the Cowboy e-bike is fast, but I only saved a few minutes compared to my non-electric bike
You still spend a lot of time waiting at big intersections.In fact, riding the Cowboy e-bike felt more like riding a moped-style scooter
You start your engine at a green light, ride as quickly as possible, brake aggressively at a red light and spend more time waiting at
I believe an e-bike makes more sense in larger cities with huge hills
Paris is much, much smaller than London or Berlin, after all.You may have noticed that the Cowboy e-bike doesn’t have fenders
Cowboy will start selling custom-designed fenders for €89 in a few weeks ($100).Another thing worth noting is that you have to be
relatively tall to use the Cowboy e-bike
I’m 1.75 m tall (5’ 8”) and I lowered the saddle as much as possible
If you’re just a tiny bit smaller than me, chances are it’s going to be too high for you
Similarly, naming your brand “Cowboy” doesn’t make your bike particularly attractive for women.When it comes to connectivity, the
Cowboy e-bike isn’t just an electric bike — it’s also a smart bike
It has built-in GPS tracking and an integrated SIM card.After pairing the bike with your phone using Bluetooth, you can control it from a
In particular, you can lock and unlock the bike, turn on and off the lights and check the battery
It would have been nice to put a light sensor on the bike itself as you may forget to turn on the lights at night
You also can get a rough idea of the current battery level without the mobile app — there are five LEDs on the frame of the device.Thanks
to GPS capabilities and the integrated SIM card, you can locate your bike using a feature called “Find my Bike.” The company also sells
insurance packages for €8 to €10 per month with theft insurance and optionally damage insurance.I recharged the battery once during my
According to the company, you can get up to 70 km on a single charge (43 miles)
I got less than that, but I also tried the off-road mode, which consumes more battery
Unless you’re going on a long bike trip, range isn’t an issue for city rides.When it’s time to recharge the battery, you can detach
the battery with a key and bring it back home
This is a great feature for people living in apartments, as you can leave your bike at its normal parking spot and plug in the battery at
The battery was full after three to four hours.Cowboy battery charger; tomato for scaleOverall, the Cowboy e-bike is the perfect commuting
bike for people living in large cities
It’s a smooth and well-designed experience
If you’re looking for an e-bike, you should definitely consider the Cowboy e-bike as one of your options
I recommend you book a test ride before buying one though.If you’re happy with a normal bike like me, the Cowboy e-bike is 100% an e-bike
Don’t expect to get the same experience on a Cowboy e-bike
It’s a completely different thing
But I’m glad e-bikes exist, because they are going to convince more people to ditch their cars and moped-style scooters.
