Like many premium electric rides, Cowboy’s e-bikes make short rides easy, especially those involving hills or lots of stop-start traffic. His latest bike is an attempt to solve another problem: comfort. The Cowboy Cross is the company’s first “all-road” model with fatter, larger wheels, seat suspension, inverted fork suspension and a significantly larger battery for longer trips – or just fewer trips to the charger.
It’s a significantly different proposition from Cowboy, which previously focused its products on European cities with established cycling communities and infrastructure. The addition of a frame-integrated rear rack with the Cross and an extended range of 120 km (in ideal conditions) also mean it’s designed for more engaging trips beyond a simple stroll around your neighborhood.
With a larger battery and suspension, the Cross ST weighs 26.5kg – 58lbs more than the company. and C4 models, while the standard Cross is even heavier at 27.9kg. This is a substantial e-bike. Once again, you can choose between stepping and transition frames, and the Cross will start in three colors: dark green, dark brown, and black. All of them have an almost satin finish, and the company has changed the paint it uses to make it more resistant to scratches and scuffs.
Compared to its predecessor, the Cross is better equipped for curbs and random road curves, resulting in a smoother ride that I immediately felt during a short test ride in central London. The e-bike lifted the curbs, instead of bouncing and shaking I rode other e-bikes. It’s still a single-gear bike, with a carbon belt drive system and suspension split between an inverted fork suspension on the front wheel and seatpost suspension, both with 40mm of travel.
It’s easy to forget, thanks to pedaling assistance, but e-bikes can be heavy – almost always heavier than their mechanical counterparts. So suspension makes a lot of sense when riding something that weighs more than 20 kilograms. The ride was otherwise very similar . Adaptive power is also on board, ensuring that the bike’s controls are simple and comparable to a standard bike. You just apply the brakes and the bike will do the acceleration and pushing.
Cowboy couldn’t help but tinker with its companion app, and these bikes will launch with new social aspects to your rides, adding league tables between groups of riders and incentives to get your feet on those pedals. (Sorry, Cowboy, but I ride an e-bike to do this little). Fortunately, the on-board phone holder doubles as a wireless charger.
While I love Cross, I’m not sure about the in-app mini-games. Pedaling madly to meet your app goals in a place like London, where you can miss a junction, a cyclist or a jogging stroller in the blink of an eye, just doesn’t seem wise. Cowboy says he’s still working on ways to gamify your travels in a fun and non-dangerous way.
Adding suspension and a larger battery cell also helps the price. The Cross will go on sale for a limited time at an early bird price of £3,099 (just shy of $4,000), eventually rising to £3,499 (almost $4,500). In mainland Europe, it will cost 3,500 Euros, rising to 4,000 Euros. You can order now and the bikes will start shipping in late May or early June 2024.
There are no US prices because the Cross will not be coming to the US just yet. The company says it continues to focus on the European market TechCrunch here to you – chasing profitability. In some business context, rival premium e-bike maker VanMoof . However, the company still plans to expand its attractions to the US. But only when you are ready.
