Super-Simple Cowboy 4 Ebike Slices Through City Streets, But Always Knows Where It Is

Lightweight, single-speed, flat-handlebar, stripped-down bicycles have become a fixture in many urban areas, as they are almost unbeatable for scything through traffic on the tight confines of city streets. Bringing them into the realm of ebikes has been a challenge, as adding in a motor, battery and other tech hardware adds weight, complexity and cost – all of which are contrary to the often home-brewed (or indie shop brewed) creations beloved by their urban riders.

Still, there are those that love the super-simple fixie and freewheel formats but also want to make them viable ebikes, and lately, brands have stepped up, with brands like VanMoof from Amsterdam and even Aventon offering pared-down, low-profile designs coupled with a bit of boost. Another recent innovative model I sampled was the Urtopia by New Urban out of China. A newcomer to the party is Cowboy, and while you might expect such a brand to call the U.S. home, the bikes are actually from Belgium. They are now coming to the U.S., and I recently spent time aboard their flagship offering, the $2,999 Cowboy 4.

Cowboy 4 Tech

The Cowboy 4 appears to be a simple design based on a regular pedal bicycle but as usual, looks are deceiving when it comes to ebikes. While the Cowboy 4’s frame layout looks typical, Cowboy has innovated by making the battery slide down and mate with the bike’s center spar rather than being stuck in the frame’s lower regions. The battery removes easily with a turn of a key for charging or security. Once the battery is in place, it’s tough to tell the Cowboy 4 is even an ebike. The battery is also fitted a bright red LED tail light. Helping aesthetic matters is the almost invisible rear hub motor, which provides 250 Watts of pedal assist depending on numerous factors, including how much effort the rider is adding in via a torque sensor. On a full charge, Cowboy says the battery will provide about 43 miles of range, and this seemed accurate in my riding test.

The Cowboy 4 dispenses with a digital display in favor of an app on your smartphone, which gives riders fine control over the bike’s power assist systems, includes GPS maps and more, and the mounting space will also wirelessly charge compatible handsets with a $40 optional accessory. Otherwise, the bike uses a Quad-Lock mount that you’ll need to find to fit your handset. If you have most any iPhone or popular Android phone, you’ll be all set. The bike will work sans a mounted phone (such as if it’s in your pocket or bag) and a small row of LEDs shows on the handlebar stems shows the level of charge. The Cowboy 4 also has the ability to be tracked via GPS in case it’s stolen.

Otherwise, the Cowboy 4 makes do with a single-speed drive train connected by a silent, clean belt drive. There is no suspension front or rear, and the Cowboy 4 is blissfully free of wiring runs save for small sections of brake line. The Cowboy rolls on moderately wide tires and braking is by hydraulic discs. A front white LED light behind a small diffusion panel makes for a good marker light, but is not necessarily a headlight in the normal sense. Equipped with fenders as standard, the Cowboy 4 weighed in at 42 pounds on my bike scale.

Ride Time

Once I had charged and installed the battery, downloaded the Cowboy app, set up the Quad-Lock phone holder and adjusted the seat, the Cowboy was ready to ride. Being a single speed bike, starting out in the tall single gear requires some effort, but the hub motor kicks in quickly and eases you on your way.

The Cowboy 4 is a pure urban ebike. In the flat, it whistles along in near silence, the standard style riding posture is slightly forward and the flat bars make adding in some cranking leverage simple and easy. While I’m a large rider, I found I fit just right on the Cowboy with the seat raised a bit. Bars and brake levers fell to my hands naturally and the bike is easy and fun to ride. It doesn’t have any “ride modes” or gears, so there’s not much to distract from the riding experience. I ran some errands using a backpack, rolled around the neighborhood and put in some miles on Portland’s many bikeways.

The phone mount system worked well, tracking rides and other metrics, and showing GPS directions as needed. However, as I descended one steep hill, the Quad-Lock phone case came loose from its mounting and my new iPhone 13 went skittering down the hill. Fortunately, it was not damaged. I re-attached the case mount and didn’t have any more problems with it. I may have attached it incorrectly at first, leading to the failure, so riders should check their phone mounts carefully.

The Cowboy felt sporty and light, with that extra bit kick coming in as needed from the back wheel. When friends saw me on it, I got a bit of ribbing for riding a “regular” bike until I pointed out the Cowboy 4 was indeed an ebike. Several friends took it for a test spin and had positive reactions, the most common being how they like how it looked and worked like a regular bike but had the advantages of an ebike. Several people mistook it for a VanMoof ebike, which is understandable since it was matte black and has a similar form factor.

Conclusions

Cowboy, based in Belgium, has created an effective, fun ebike in the Cowboy 4. For those living in cities, it’s a great way to get around quickly and quietly. The bike is easy to ride, comfortable, very stylish and if riders wish it can be further outfitted with racks, panniers and so on. The battery system is innovative and effective, and has decent range. The single gear limits effectiveness on steeper hills but the motor boost helps out on smaller grades. The phone-centric approach makes sense in our modern world but at least you can put it in your pocket if you just want to pedal around without it on the handlebars. I’d like to see Cowboy improve the front light or add a dedicated headlight as this is a matte black bike (at least my review bike was) and after-dark visibility is important. Otherwise, the Cowboy 4 is an innovative, fun, well-made ebike that has a simple approach to aesthetics and makes good use of technology.