E-bike designer and maker Cowboy enters US market to enhance mobility in and around US cities.
Founded in 2017 in Brussels, having raised $42m in capital and sold in excess of 25,000 bikes across 11 European markets, connected e-bike market leader Cowboy is expanding operations in the US where it will market the Cowboy 4 models available for pre-order starting today at an early bird price of $1,990.
- Available for order nationwide including free delivery, Cowboy will initially offer its on-demand test ride and repair services in 8 US cities this fall with further coverage to be added in the 1st quarter of 2022.
- The 4th generation of Cowboy bikes and winner of the Red Dot Best of the Best 2021 design award is available in both a step-over and step-through frames and features a built-in cockpit, the latest motor technology for optimal performance when cycling uphill and the acclaimed crash detection sensing technology for the safest ride in town.
- A cockpit integrated in the stem, recharging wirelessly and holding your phone securely, offering safe and instant access to essential live on route information such as navigation, air quality and fitness stats through the iOS and Android Cowboy app.
After a successful launch in Europe racking record sales, 3 times Red Dot Design award winner Cowboy introduces the latest Cowboy 4 in the United States supported by an on-demand service network and in-house customer support that gave Cowboy its riders first reputation.
The latest addition to the range and the first-ever model to be sold in the US, Cowboy 4 features both a step-over and step-through frames, a new powertrain with high torque providing a powerful yet incredibly smooth electric assistance, a signature and minimalist design including 200 custom-made parts, and the community loved Cowboy app for the ultimate connected ride.
An industry first and available on the C4 and C4 ST is a cockpit integrated into the stem featuring a built-in Quad Lock mount to instantly dock, securely hold and wirelessly charge the rider’s smartphone allowing for real-time access to essential information through the Cowboy app before and during the ride such as predictive battery level at destination, en-route weather or bike parking locations.
The C4 and the C4 ST are poised to offer an unparalleled riding experience catering for a wide variety of needs, styles and US cities’ diverse terrain and biking infrastructure.
Making their debut today with pre-orders opening on Cowboy.com at an early bird price of $1,990 valid until the 31st of October, deliveries are expected to start in January for a limited set of bikes.
A dream machine designed for every rider and any ride.
Brussels, Belgium. September 23, 2021 — Cowboy, the iconic European connected bike brand, today announces it will introduce its latest generation and best selling e-bike to the US market to power a new way for Americans to move.
Cowboy’s fully integrated electric bike platform built on the principles of in-house industrial design, engineering and customer service excellence will now be available for delivery across the US, with the goal of inspiring active and mindful movement in and around cities with a modern, sleek, and seamless-to-use e-bike.
A bike and system that set you free and becomes your best companion to ride safely and healthily.
With more than 25,000 bikes on the road today, Cowboy riders have collectively ridden over 16 million miles to-date, the equivalent distance of 650,000 trips around the planet earth. Hopping on their bikes an average of 8 times a week and moving at an average speed of 10 mph and faster than the respectively 9 mph speed of cars in congested city centers such as Brussels and Paris, Cowboy soon became the primary form of transportation for many in Europe.
Current urban mobility in the U.S. is slow with average speed of cars reported at a stunningly low 7mph in Downtown NYC, and the surplus of cars on the streets is leading to stress, pollution and overall negative effects on cities and climate change. In 2020 alone, New York City drivers lost an average of 100 hours due to congestion.
Cowboy offers the one-stop, fully connected e-bike platform to millions of Americans looking for a worry-free experience to commute around their cities in a fast and safe manner, enjoying more outdoor leisure time, or finding an exciting new way to stay active to enhance both their mental and fitness health.
“We’ve seen impressive sales in Europe, with 100% unit growth in the first quarter of this year compared to 2020. I am thrilled to finally enter the US market as we see a rapidly changing consumer mindset and a fast-growing and unfulfilled need here for a greener, healthier way to move in and around cities” commented Adrien Roose, CEO and Co-founder of Cowboy.
A passion for craft and performance excellence
The Cowboy 4 models have been awarded Red Dot Best of the Best 2021 in the product design category, a testament to the design craftsmanship and performance excellence demonstrated since the company’s inception in 2017. With the launch of the Cowboy 4, almost every component of the bike has been custom designed, with the exception of the saddle and the carbon belt, produced by best-in-class Selle Royal and Gates, respectively. From the brake cables now seamlessly integrated into the handlebars and stem, the diamond pattern of the grips mirroring the tread of the tyres, understated geometry of the brakes and pedals, and an eye-catching dropout at the rear wheel, every detail has been perfected for Cowboy’s quintessential minimalistic look.
“The Cowboy 4 completely redefines life in and around cities,” shared Adrien. “By designing two frame types featuring our first-ever step-through model, an integrated cockpit wirelessly charging your phone, and a new app available for both iOS and Android users, we are able to cater to a wide array of riding needs and styles among US consumers and to provide them with real-time information on the go, setting them free of any worry” he added.
“Our mission is to help city dwellers move in a faster, safer and more enjoyable way than any other mode of urban transportation. Be it wandering through the city or staying fit, it’s a reconnection with your senses and a rediscovery of the simple thrill of riding a bike. When you ride a Cowboy bike, you never ride it alone. It’s a whole connected system and set of real-time services that power your path through the city”
A step ahead
The C4 ST, Cowboy’s first step-through mode weighing only 42.3 lbs, is built on the very same design principles of the step-over frame style on which Cowboy built its reputation. An equally sleek bike, its dimensions offer an upright riding position to cater for an audience looking for the utmost comfort. The C4 ST is optimised to suit riders 5’3”- 6’2” ft tall whereas the C4 best accommodates riders 5’6” — 6’4” ft tall.
With the introduction of its latest bike, Cowboy will also offer a custom-designed series of accessories starting with a rear rack and kickstand, available as options at time of purchase and being factory installed when selected. The C4 and C4 ST come in three gorgeous colors, including Black, Khaki, and Sand, and are available for pre-order starting today at an early bird price of $1,990, with deliveries beginning in January 2022. Both models will feature pre-fitted mudguards as standard.
Integrated cockpit with wireless charging
An industry premiere and available on both the C4 and C4 ST is a cockpit integrated into the stem featuring a built-in Quad Lock mount to securely hold the rider’s smartphone. Once docked, the phone will wirelessly start to charge, directly leveraging the bike’s internal battery, and providing real-time access to essential information through the Cowboy app before, during and after each ride.
“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 enroute and a wide range of live fitness stats or turn by turn instructions” said Tanguy Goretti, Co-Founder and VP Software. “Thanks to our proprietary cockpit, it’s now easy to quickly and securely dock your phone and give it a charge as you ride” he added.
An integrated and fully connected e-bike platform
Since the launch of its first model the C1 in 2018, Cowboy has created the ultimate e-bike experience with in-house industrial design capabilities, hardware and software engineering allowing for a fully owned technology stack and allowing us to deliver a seamless user experience.
All Cowboy bikes embed a computer processing information coming from built-in sensors and a high-frequency GPS, capturing 25 data points per second and streaming real-time information to the Cowboy app and to our riders when they need it most.
Signature benefits of our fully connected bikes include real-time diagnostic, over-the-air free upgrades of the bike for an ever up-to-date ride, theft detection and alerts, and a proprietary crash detection technology informing your emergency contacts in the event of an accident.
The road to a more informed and healthier ride
The Cowboy app is packed with industry-first features on both iOS and Android to make sure you stay informed about the road conditions ahead, keep safe and make that ride count to improve your fitness health :
- A home screen presenting enroute weather and air quality, predictive battery range and consumption, and a summary of your itinerary ahead.
- A navigation view with 3D maps allowing for easy access to favorite and recent locations, clear turn-by-turn instructions, factoring hyperlocal air quality index and offering the healthiest route as an alternative to the fastest itinerary.
- Real-time trip dashboard to track comprehensive fitness data such as distance covered, average speed, calories burned, and elevation gain.
- Post-trip summary rewarding frequent usage and achievements, including badges earned and leaderboard ranking to stay on top of your game and help you reach your goals.
“This fall is the perfect time to introduce Cowboy in the US with our most accomplished models and software innovations. We’ve seen how transformative our connected e-bikes have been to city dwellers across Europe helping them move efficiently, safely, sustainably and aim towards a lifestyle offering many proven mental and fitness health benefits. I could not be more excited for the American consumers to soon enjoy the many features packed in the Cowboy app and to finally move the way they ever dreamt of” said Adrien.
Never Ride Alone
Cowboy strives to delight its users, removing any worry prior to and during their ride. We offer the industry’s most comprehensive set of services with more to be announced this fall.
- Live performance tracking of your bike essentials enabling us to detect any fault, notify you and suggest a fix before you even knew you needed one.
- Free over-the-air upgrades of your bike computer via the Cowboy app so you’ll always benefit from the latest software features. Your bike will only get better over the years.
- Customer Support — A team of specialists available 6 days a week, replying to any customer request on average within 6 minutes, with an overall satisfaction rate of 94.4% in Europe. An excellence we aim to maintain as we start to operate in the US.
- A team of Cowboy-trained field technicians and partners should you ever need a repair or helping hand.
- Theft protection — with details to be announced this fall, a comprehensive subscription plan operated in partnership with Qover which will include theft detection and coverage.
Tune in. Ride on.
“The last four years have seen Cowboy go from an idea of reimagining the electric bike to becoming a sought-after brand and product with a devoted community of riders within the mobility space,” Adrien Roose shared. “We’ve stayed true to our initial vision of providing a better alternative to the car — in form and function — and with the Cowboy 4 it’s a shift we will accelerate, lead and are now excited to make available to millions of US consumers.”
Cowboy is the connected electric bike for urban riders and continues to transform the bike and mobility space — from point of sale to point of service. Its mission is to power riders to map their own paths, and those of the cities they live in, through mindful and active movement that benefits all. Founded in 2017 by start-up entrepreneurs Adrien Roose, Karim Slaoui and Tanguy Goretti, Cowboy is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. Cowboy is the winner of the Eurobike 2017, the Red Dot bicycle design award 2018 and the Red Dot Best of the Best product design award in 2019 and 2021. Cowboy operates in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom with new moves on the horizon.
The details
AVAILABILITY & PRICING
The C4 and C4 ST will launch at an early bird price of $1,990 valid until 31/10/21 inclusive of mudguards and are available for pre-order with a $100 only deposit starting from today exclusively on cowboy.com, with deliveries starting in January 2022.
At launch, Cowboy will offer a first range of accessories for our riders to configure their bike :
- Quad Lock case covering most sold smartphone models, priced at $29
- Custom-made kickstand and rear rack, priced at $99 and pre-fitted
Free on-demand test ride bookings made directly on cowboy.com of both models will begin this fall across 8 cities before further expansion in Q2 2022: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Portland, Washington, Philadelphia, and Seattle.
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE C4 AND C4 ST MODELS
Weight C4: 41.5 lbs total weight, including battery
Weight C4 ST: 42.3 lbs total weight, including battery
Frame material: Aluminium 6061
Rider height C4: Optimized for riders between 5'6"–6'4" tall
Rider height C4 ST: Optimized for riders between 5'3"–6'2" ft tall
Tires: Cowboy custom tires with a flexible grip and a puncture protection layer at a width of 47 mm
Brakes: Front and Rear Hydraulic Disc
Front lights: Integrated LED front light can be turned on/off via the app
Rear lights: Integrated LED rear light intensifies when decelerating and/or braking
Warranty: 2 years
Range: up to 43.5 miles autonomy
Battery: 5.3 lbs removable battery. 360 Wh and 10.0 Ah
Mobile app: iOS and Android.
Colours: Black, Khaki, Sand
Belt C4: Gates carbon belt, gear ratio 60/20 (3)
Belt C4 ST: Gates carbon belt, gear ratio 57/20 (2.85)
Charger: 100 W charger with a charging time of 3.5 hours
Motor: Custom-designed 45 Nm / 250 W motor, integrated into the rear wheel
Maximum assisted speed: 20 mph
DOWNLOADABLE MEDIA ASSETS
For more information and test or interview requests, please contact:
Moxie — Maria Kennedy
maria@moxiegrouppr.com
P +1 (774) 278–0829