The Belgian start-up Cowboy has unveiled the fourth generation of its e-bike of the same name on Thursday, with the new version sporting a step-through frame for the first time.
The new 'C4 ST' - which Cowboy says is to "match a variety of riding styles, heights, and tastes" - is part of the strategy to further increase the company's share of the e-bike market.
"By designing two frame types featuring our first-ever step-through model, an integrated cockpit, and a new app, we are now able to address a much larger audience and cater to many more riders to move freely in and around cities," explained Cowboy co-Founder and CEO, Adrien Roose.
The new bike - alongside the more traditional C4 also revealed today - is built on the same design as earlier Cowboy models. According to the press release, the aim is to provide a more comfortable upright riding position to attract an even broader audience looking for a more comfortable ride.
As with all of their bikes, the target audience is riders in the city. If the classic frame of the previous bikes was a hindrance for smaller people, the low-frame version allows the start-up to target a much wider audience. "Up to three times as many people, according to our studies," Tanguy Goretti, another co-founder, points out.
Follow The Leader
Despite selling several tens of thousands of the €2000+ bikes since it launched in 2018, Cowboy is still not profitable but aims to be soon, Belga news agency reports.
Credit: Cowboy
"The market is growing very fast and we have the opportunity to be the leader," explained Roose, who aims to dominate the European market and to consolidate its position in its main markets (Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France and England).
The coronavirus crisis hit sales for the company, which also faced delays in delivering bikes to customers. "Sales logically slowed down with the first containment and the closure of most suppliers' factories," explained Goretti.
Then they exploded at the beginning of the second quarter and during the third, with the deconfinement and the increased search for bicycles to get around, both during the week and at weekends, unlike before the crisis.
The new models cost €2,490 and deliveries will start at the end of August/beginning of September.
