Take it from me, e-bikes can be complicated things. I've tested quite a few now, and it's fair to say it's been quite a learning curve.
I've had bikes with a multitude of gears, bikes which can have countless settings to fiddle with until you get them just right, or bikes which have so many bits bolted on you need to perform a small pantomime every time you set off.
And then I tested a Cowboy bike. It's an e-bike reimagined. Designed to take away the fuss of firing up an electric system, and to distill things down to the joy of riding a bike, this elegant, matt-finished, minimalist masterpiece is as simple as they come.
That's not to say it's not clever though. There's a lot of tech bundled into a Cowboy bike, but I'll come on to that later.
Firstly, let's just drink in the detail. And it takes quite a lot of doing, despite the minimalism. Firstly, everything is integrated. Cables, the motor, the battery, even the lights, it's all just melted into the frame in a seamless fashion, which you have to see up-close to really get a feel for.
But it's in the way the frame sits flush against the stem and the forks, and the grips are the same diameter as the rest of the handlebars, which are integrated into the stem, and sit above a vertical light that protrudes slightly.
The mudguards are draped over an almost slick set of tyres as if they were sculpted - and there's no chain... Cowboy bikes are belt-driven. And there's no gears, either... It's a single speed.
The tall, narrow battery clicks into the seatpost tube and integrates a rear light, but there are no controls for said lights anywhere to be seen on the bike itself. And that's where things get really clever.
Not that there's very much to control - there's no modes, or speeds, or cadence controls, or anything like that, but the Cowboy bike is coupled with an app. So when you first set up your bike, you create an account, enter some information, and you're good to go.
This app is essentially its life support system. Your smartphone fixes to the bike on a QuadLock clamp mounted to the stem which, incidentally, has a wireless charging loop if your phone supports it. Once connected through Bluetooth, your bike is basically unlocked, switched on, and you're ready to ride.
The app brings up everything from your current speed and trip distance to the weather and the local air quality. Obviously this also gives you a battery level readout. Not that you'll be too worried, because the Cowboy bike has a 40-mile range.
And because it likes to do all the thinking for you, it will constantly measure your input and the load to optimise the level of power it gives you, which really helps to preserve and prolong the range.
And that range really will take you a while to chew through if you keep the Cowboy in its natural environment - the urban sprawl. I live on the edge of the Peak District and I did take it out in the hills a few times, but it's definitely at its best in town.
The riding position is comfortable, and certainly suited to just jumping on and riding. The steering feels incredibly direct and precise and those tyres help it to glide over the road efficiently. It's not hard to build up a fair head of speed without really putting in much effort at all.
And that's kind of the point of it really. With no chain, no gears, no power settings and everything set up on your app, you just clip your phone on and ride. It's as simple as cycling gets.
So this stripped-back, lightweight, simple and smart e-bike sets out to rewrite the rule book, and it does it in such a charming style that riding it becomes quite addictive.
The model I tested, the Cowboy 4 ST, also comes in a conventional frame design, the Cowboy 4, and costs £2,490. There's a predecessor still available with fewer bells and whistles at £1,990, but here's a bike that costs around half the price of the iconic GoCycle, yet still sets out to be the perfect partner for urban commutes.
It's hard not to recommend it for anyone that fancies taking to two wheels but can't be bothered with fussing about. It's the very essence of cycling, but with battery assistance. I absolutely loved it.
