Cowboy 4 Review: The Perfect Newbie Ebike

I like to think of myself as a cyclist. They have a lot of parts that move at high speeds and are prone to break. For someone who gets paid to know these things, the number of times I have boiled over about popped tires is too high.

The Cowboy 4 ebike is one of my favorites. It has no gears, but it does have a built-in phone holder and a wireless charging station. There was a box in it. The only thing I had to do was turn the handlebars, attach pedals, adjust the seat, and pump the tires.

It looks great on the road. I named my review unit Wayne after the app that asked you to name your bicycle. I ride Wayne all the time. If you wanted to haul a lot of groceries or kids, you would need a bigger vehicle. Is that true? I would like to see more e bikes stablemates.

There is an all-in-one conundrum.

There are many direct-to-consumer bike companies. You have to put together a bunch of parts after you order a bike. If you have ordered a cheaper one, it can be difficult. Most people don't know how to build an e bike.

I don't like the idea of building a motorized device in your backyard that could kill you. When the Cowboy 4 showed up at my door, I was skeptical. The packing job inside the box made me feel better.

The gorgeous, off-white, step-through ebike came fully assembled, with the handlebars sideways. A box full of clearly labeled tools and a simple instruction manual made it easy for me to ride in minutes.

To get the benefit of the 250 watt rear hub motor, you have to pair your phone and lock it in the app. You can ride the bike without unlocking it in the app, at which point it becomes a rather cumbersome one-speeder, but it does have a gps tracking feature. You can share your location with emergency contacts.

The stem of the Cowboy 4 has a built in quad lock system and wireless charging, so if you don't have juice on your phone, you won't find yourself in that situation. If you buy a compatible phone case, you can pop your phone to your bike to charge it while you ride, and it will work with almost any modern device.