I like to Think of myself as a cyclist, but bikes are incredibly complicated. They have a wealth of different parts that move at high speeds and withstand a lot of stress, and these parts tend to crack or creak. The number of times I have boiled over blown tires and other mechanical problems is too damn high for someone who you know gets paid to know these things.
That’s why I love Cowboy 4 ebike. It has no gear, but it has a built-in phone holder and wireless charger, sleek automatic lights and sleek splash guards. It came in a recyclable box. All I had to do was turn the handlebars around, put some pedals on, adjust the seat and inflate the tires.
On the road, it works well and it looks beautiful while doing so. The app asks you to name your bike, and I named my off-white review device Wayne. I ride Wayne everywhere. He’s not as fast as high-end bikes, and you need to grab something bigger if you really wanted kids or a significant amount of groceries. But honestly? I wish more e-bikes were such reliable stable mates.
All-in-one puzzle
Photo: Cowboy
Many bicycle companies that are direct to consumers make things too damn difficult. You order a bike, get a pile of parts in a box, and you have to put them together. This can be especially challenging if you have ordered a cheaper one. And of course, most people have no experience building an ebike before.
Building a motorized device in your backyard that could easily kill you or others has never been right for me. So I was immediately skeptical when Cowboy 4 showed up at my doorstep. But the packing work in its large cardboard box eased my worries.
The beautiful, off-white, step-through ebike came fully assembled, with the handlebars sideways, but otherwise everything except the pedals attached. A box full of clearly marked tools and a simple instruction manual had me completely ready to ride in minutes after a quick tire pump and seat adjustment (things you would do with literally any bike).
The Cowboy is an app-connected bike, which means you have to pair your phone and then lock and unlock it in the app to take advantage of the 250-watt rear hub motor. You can ride the bike without unlocking it in the app, after which it just becomes a rather cumbersome one-speeder, but it has GPS tracking if anyone nods at it. It also has crash detection and can automatically share your location with emergency switches.
You probably will not find yourself in a case where you are without juice on your phone because the trunk of the Cowboy 4 has a built-in quad lock system and wireless charging. Buy a compatible phone cover (they have them for almost all modern devices), and you can put your phone to your bike to charge it while riding – a super-slim option, and one that makes use of Google Maps simply amazing as you get around the city.