Charge on : An integrated cockpit with wireless phone charging now allows for the ultimate cycling experience

Cowboy
4 min readJun 11, 2021

Since inception, our ambition has been to provide our riders with a seamless, holistic and futureproof experience, by designing connected bikes that can actually interact and communicate in real-time with the Cowboy app and one’s phone. From over-the-air free updates of your bike’s internal software, the ability to unlock your bike automatically without taking your phone out of your pocket, or our new clean routing to guide riders through the city with localized air quality data. Over the past three years, we have been pushing the boundaries of the e-bike industry by releasing industry-first features with a full-stack approach across the entire product ecosystem. Most recently, theft notifications warning you if someone attempts to steal your bike and a crash detection system warning your emergency contacts in case of accident.

Today with the new Cowboy 4, we’re taking another step ahead with the phone front and center as the bike’s dashboard and the rider’s road companion. The new C4 and C4 ST models feature an industry-first cockpit integrated into the bike stem to wirelessly charge and securely hold the rider’s smartphone. Once docked, the all-new Cowboy app is there to provide essential information powering their ride as it’s tuned into weather condition data, bike diagnostics, and ride stats.

“We wanted to give anyone’s phone and the new Cowboy app centre stage, enabling our riders to have a companion along for the ride, offering easy and instant access to information such as remaining battery range, air quality on route and a wide range of live fitness stats”, shared Tanguy Goretti, Co-Founder and VP Software.

A First Screen Experience

By leveraging the existing screen everyone already uses daily rather than embedding an extra display into the bike has many benefits. The large phone screen size and high resolution offer an optimal experience between app and bike and ensures our technology will always be at the cutting edge. It also prevents the display from getting damaged by other bikes’ handlebars when you leave your bike in a parking spot, which happens quite often. It also avoids unnecessary manufacturing costs, which allows Cowboy to offer a bike at a competitive price.

Seamless Integration

To achieve our high standard of simplicity, the cockpit was designed so the bike and smartphone actually become one. Our team created a unified design merging the stem and handlebar, hiding any cable routing and blending perfectly with all other parts of the bike. A fully flush line joins the handlebars from end to end, while keeping the stem slim and allowing for a seamless integration of the wireless charging module and the 8-LED battery indicator. The result not only brings a unique experience to the rider and an exceptional design aesthetic, but this innovation also improves the aerodynamics of the bike.

Wireless charging module with the 8-LED battery indicator

Partnering with industry leader Quad Lock, we integrated a built-in custom smartphone mounting system to easily and securely hold the rider’s phone. As a customer, when you reach cowboy.com, you get to select the smartphone case that fits your model which you’re able to purchase with your bike and other accessories. “Cowboy’s customer-first approach and product design focus aligns closely with our own brand principles, so having the opportunity to work with the Cowboy team on this project was truly exciting. We are proud to integrate Quad Lock into Cowboy 4,” exclaimed Ben Taylor, Quad Lock Sales Director.

With your phone docked in sight, your bike becomes an all-knowing companion. Connected to your every move, with Cowboy you’ll never ride alone yet you’ll always be a step ahead.

Stay tuned for our next article which will go deep into some of the most exciting features of the new Cowboy app.

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Cowboy
Cowboy

Written by Cowboy

The electric bike for urban riders. We put intuition into motion to share a street level perspective in the living city.