Riders in numerous locations throughout Europe can now have their Cowboy ebikes repaired without ever leaving their couch.
Through the Cowboy app, you can request a mechanic to come to your home and carry out services like repairs, general maintenance, and the installation of a child seat. The call-out fee starts at €69.
“It’s imperative that customers are confident that when they invest in a Cowboy ebike, they can service it at a time and place that suits them best,” said Cowboy founder and CTO Tanguy Goretti.
“We realise that not everyone has the time, tools or technical knowledge to assemble accessories or service their ebikes themselves, so On-Demand is the perfect service for them,” he stated.
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
Cowboy has been trialling the so-called On-Demand service for a while, but has now expanded it to all parts of Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Riders in the capital cities of London, Paris, Vienna, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Rome are also covered. Oh and Glasgow and Milan, too.
The On-Demand service is meant to complement Cowboy Care, the company’s €20-a-month subscription maintenance service which covers 14 European cities including Amsterdam, Munich, Brussels, Paris, and London.
For anyone who lives far from a repair shop with the expertise to service these complex bicycles or who doesn’t want to pay a monthly fee, I’m sure the option to call a mechanic to your doorstep is pretty attractive.
It’s the latest offering from Cowboy, which has seen significant growth since it was founded in 2017. The startup even managed to reach profitability last September.
That’s at least a one-up from VanMoof, the ebike darling that went bankrupt last year following huge losses in excess of €80mn a year.
Cowboy — whose premium, tech-enabled bicycles are not unlike those of VanMoof — has pointed to a couple of reasons for why it, unlike its rival, has managed to stay afloat amid a generally tough time for ebike startups.
Firstly, the company makes and assembles its bikes in Europe rather than in Taiwan, which reduces supply chain shocks. Secondly, Cowboy’s bikes can be repaired at third-party shops instead of only at branded stores, helping it to cut costs.
Let’s just hope that with new offerings like On-Demand, Cowboy isn’t biting off more than it can chew and bringing its hopes for long-term viability to a grinding halt.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.