The Wild West is fully designed, as you can see on the Cowboy Cruiser. From the head tube to the brake calliper: everything looks cylindrically round, with hardly any protruding bolt heads or the like. The handlebars are an evenly shaped curve that flows smoothly into the grips - e-bike goes lifestyle! Another nice feature of the cruiser is the full integration: brake lines and almost everything bulky disappears into the frame or fork. However, gear cables do not need to be concealed as the bike only has one gear.
Chilling Cowboy Cruiser
The cruiser is supposed to be the manufacturer's first bike for leisurely riding: upright seating, handlebars curved backwards for comfort, wide saddle. This works very well - if you are of standard height. Only people around 1.80 metres are really relaxed here. For them, the riding position and handling are appropriate and comfortable, as is typical for city bikes. The saddle height can be adjusted. The fat cowboy tyres ensure comfort on cobblestones and other bad cobbles. Like the well-functioning brakes, they are specified as Cowboy products. The carrier can carry 25 kilograms, enough for shopping with two panniers.
Little to criticise
The battery of the Cowboy Cruiser with a capacity of 360 watt hours is located on the seat tube and can be removed with a key for charging, while the Cowboy Custom motor with 45 newton metres of torque is located in the rear wheel hub. It responds very directly, but a little rough, and delivers sufficient power for everyday use without major inclines. Its noise level is moderate, and apart from the occasional slight push, there is little to criticise. According to Cowboy, it "thinks" and delivers more power when the demands on the mountain are higher. The app is central to this designer e-bike: it is also the ignition key, navigator, anti-theft device and much more. If you don't have it or forget your mobile phone, you can start the motor by removing the battery and plugging it back in without having to make any other settings. In other words, you drive in "Standard" mode, the middle of the three. This gives you around 50 kilometres. You can then travel comfortably and maintenance-free in one gear.
The mobile phone - the adapter for a special smartphone holder is standard on the handlebars - can be charged while riding. However, the single-speed gear ratio is extremely long for everyday use without assistance. This Belgian model also comes to the buyer without a stopover at a dealer; Cowboy does not have its own retail partners. A broad on-site maintenance and service programme can therefore be selected for 20 euros per month, as can theft insurance. The packaging can be opened at the front and the Cowboy Cruiser can be rolled out effortlessly.
Criticism: The beautifully integrated cowboy lighting is not StVZO-compliant, the company includes additional plug-in lights with the bike. Not a nice solution.
Conclusion on the e-bike
The design guiding principle "form follows function" is not taken entirely seriously here, with lights and size adjustment being the key words. Nevertheless, the cowboy lifestyle is appealing, and if it motivates your neighbour to occasionally go city biking, all the better.
Details about the Cowboy Cruiser
- Price: 2990 Euro
- Frame sizes: One size fits 170-195 cm
- Test bike weight: 19 kg
- Permissible total weight: 140 kg
- Frame: Aluminium
- Fork: Aluminium
- Circuit: Singlespeed, carbon belt, front 60, rear 21 teeth
- Motor/battery: Cowboy rear wheel motor / Cowboy, 360 WH, removable
- Brakes/ø: Disc, hydraulic, Cowboy Custom
- Tyres: Cowboy Custom 47-622
- Lighting system: Cowboy, integrated, rear: Cowboy, integrated, (StVZO-compliant lights are supplied according to the agency)
