Hello Cowboy: Meet The New Generation Of Electric Bicycles
Cowboy, the Belgium startup that’s building a new, smarter e-bike, just launched in its home country this past week. The startup has raised $3 million in seed funding.
Founded by Adrien Roose and Karim Slaoui, who both previously co-founded Take Eat Easy, an early Deliveroo competitor, and Tanguy Goretti, who was previously co-founded ridesharing startup Djump, Cowboy has set out to build and sell a better designed e-bike that it claims addresses issues that have historically held back the category’s mass appeal. This includes a more elegant design than many existing models currently on the market, making the bike “smart” by being connected to a mobile phone and “over the air” through cellular and GPS networks, as well as more affordable than comparative offerings.
The Cowboy e-bike is pitched as a better ride, powered by “intuitive and automatic motor assistance.” It uses built-in sensor technology that measures speed and torque, and adjusts to pedaling style and force to deliver an added boost of motor-assisted speed at key moments.
When it comes to conquering those steep hills, you will probably need an added boost or two.
The e-bike is also attempting to be more secure thanks to its connectivity. You can unlock the bike via the Cowboy smart phone app, which also supports on-board navigation and a data dashboard that tracks speed and other useful stats.
How long will the battery last? It is said to be good to go for around 50km, and takes 2.5 hours to fully charge. As part of the bespoke design, it is integrated into the frame under the saddle and is easily removable.
Currently, the company is only delivering to Belgium for now, but plans to launch more widely in Europe next year.
