Cowboy<\/a> is better known for its sleek electric bikes that you can see in many major cities across Europe. And if you look at the persons riding those Cowboy bikes, most of the time, you\u2019ll see a young adult heading to an office with a laptop in a backpack.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why the company is launching a brand-new bike called Cowboy Cross. It\u2019s an all-road model that aims for comfort and long-distance trips.<\/p>\n I had the opportunity to see the new Cowboy Cross last week and take it for a test ride for a few minutes. When it comes to design, it definitely looks like a Cowboy bike with its pill-shaped front light, angular design and soft matte colors.<\/p>\n Similarly, Cowboy is betting on a fully integrated design with as little maintenance as possible. There\u2019s no (physical) gear, braking cables are hidden as much as possible and the company uses carbon fiber belts.<\/p>\n What\u2019s new with the Cowboy Cross are the tires. The wheels are slightly smaller (26.5 inches), but the custom-designed tires are much larger.<\/p>\n At the front of the bike, you\u2019ll see front fork suspension. But unlike most road bikes, the front fork is inverted with the suspension near the wheel. In addition to a better design, that\u2019s how Cowboy manages to hide the front brake cable in the frame.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a seat post suspension for navigating rough terrain. For both the front fork and the seat post, the suspensions can be adjusted with a screwdriver.<\/p>\n And if you\u2019re a small person who just can\u2019t ride a Cowboy bike due to your height, the saddle can go a bit lower on the new bike. The handlebar is a bit larger as well. Again, everything has been designed to make the Cowboy Cross more comfortable than existing Cowboy bikes.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Romain Dillet \/ TechCrunch<\/p>\n<\/div>\n There are two designs for the aluminum frame as the Cowboy Cross is available in step-over and step-through variants. The bike is available in three different colors \u2014 light gray, dark gray and green. You\u2019ll also find a rear rack that can support a child seat or various bags.<\/p>\n The battery is a bit larger with a 50% increase in capacity. The company claims that you should be able to ride for 60 to 120 km on (37 to 75 miles) on a single charge.<\/p>\n That\u2019s about it for specifications. However, potential customers expect to keep their new bike for years to come. So it\u2019s going to be important to make sure that the Cowboy Cross can easily be maintained over the long haul. But it\u2019s hard to tell how it will fare on launch day. In addition to this hardware release, Cowboy is also announcing a new \u201cCheck My Bike\u201d diagnostic tool.<\/p>\n Preorders start today with an early-bird price of \u20ac3,499 (that\u2019s $3,800 at today\u2019s exchange rate). Eventually, Cowboy expects to sell the Cowboy Cross for \u20ac3,999 ($4,350).<\/p>\n As a reminder, Cowboy\u2019s \u201cclassic\u201d bike models cost \u20ac2,699 ($2,940), but there are two software upgrades<\/a> that cost \u20ac199 and \u20ac299 each. The \u20ac199 Cowboy Connect pack is included with the Cowboy Cross models.<\/p>\n \u201cAccording to our studies, this will double our total addressable market,\u201d Cowboy co-founder and CEO Adrien Roose told me. \u201cI think it\u2019s a different customer overall. It\u2019s a customer who\u2019s looking for more comfort. So they\u2019re usually a little bit older and have a bit more budget.\u201d<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Romain Dillet \/ TechCrunch<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In my test ride, I also played with Cowboy\u2019s mobile app. This app hosts all the smart features of the electric bike. You can turn on the lights, switch between Eco mode and AdaptivePower<\/a>, get turn-by-turn directions and see historical data. AdaptivePower is the feature that automatically adjusts the power of the motor depending on the current slope and weather conditions \u2014 and that was under the spotlight<\/a> following a patent suit with eBikeLabs.<\/p>\n The company also added some minigames that should encourage you to push harder without distracting you too much. For instance, the app will tell you to push as much as possible during 30 seconds. Or the app might say that you\u2019ve entered a popular segment and tell you if you\u2019re faster than your friends.<\/p>\n These Strava-like features won\u2019t replace Strava just yet \u2014 they can even be disabled in case you find them too distracting. But it\u2019s interesting to see the company going down that road and making software a first-class citizen.<\/p>\n Cowboy mostly sells its bikes to customers living in Belgium (its home country), Germany, France, the Netherlands and the U.K. Instead of launching in new markets, the company has decided to expand its product range with more form factors.<\/p>\n \u201cWe mostly spent the first two years of the company prototyping. During the next five years, we refined our platform. Now we want to offer our product in different form factors to meet different needs,\u201d Roose said. So you can expect other models in the coming months and years.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Cowboy-Cross-1.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nDifferent models for different needs<\/h2>\n
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