Belgian e-bike brand Cowboy has announced a subscription-based on-demand maintenance service for owners of its bikes. Priced at £20 a month, Cowboy Care allows members in selected cities to call out technicians to an address of their choice for everything from major repairs to flat tyres and even cleaning.
Given the high initial cost of purchasing an e-bike, there appears to be a growing market for a wide range of related subscription services.
Examples include the likes of Swapfiets, Hurrecane and Dance, who all offer bikes for a monthly fee, as well as Zoomo, who do much the same thing only primarily targeting couriers.
Cowboy’s offering is an add-on for those who buy its e-bikes and is therefore more akin to Vanmoof’s ‘peace of mind services’ which incorporate theft cover and maintenance. (Here’s a review of Vanmoof’s S3.)
Initially available in London and 13 other European cities, Cowboy Care is billed as all-inclusive, with “no hidden costs or exceptions.”
The firm says it will cover any work required as a result of regular use of the bike and that any part that needs replacing will be paid for by them.
It’s also unlimited – technicians will come out as many times as the customer requires.
Cowboy founder and CEO, Adrien Roose, explained: "Cowboy exists to serve and delight urban dwellers in their quest for a safe, healthy, frictionless and fun way to move in and around cities. Allowing our riders to journey worry free is what our on-demand Cowboy Care service sets itself to deliver every step of the way.”
Users can either speak to customer services or schedule an appointment through the Cowboy app.
Three appointment types are available: Maintenance, Repair and Flat Tyre Fix.
A Cowboy mobile service team technician then comes and meets the person at the agreed upon location to carry out whatever work needs doing.
Cowboy Care covers all of the following:
Maintenance
- Frame cleaning
- Belt cleaning
- Brake/disc pad cleaning
- Belt-tightening
- Bolt/screw tightening
- Tyre pressure check
- Full bike check-up
- Parts replacement (including tyres and brake pads)
- Inner tube replacement (only in case of a puncture)
Services
- Unlimited bookings
- Cost of spare parts included
- Flat tyre replacement
- Free on-demand intervention (this one sounds ominous)
- Duplicate battery key in case of loss
Cowboy launched the fourth generation of its urban e-bike earlier this year.
We took a look at the previous version. You can read our review here.