
Cowboy Proves That E-Bikes with Removable Batteries Can Be Beautiful - notlukesky
https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/8/18656321/cowboy-e-bike-preview-price-date-removable-battery
======
nihonde
Electric bikes with a removable battery are standard-issue “MamaChari” in
Japan. Every city mom has one that carries two kids and/or groceries. Every
grandma/grandpa has one (without the kids seats), too, to tackle the long
hills!

Ebikes in Japan cost about $1,200 in USD equivalent, more or less.

[https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/11/18/lifestyle/going...](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/11/18/lifestyle/going-
electric-celebrating-japans-powerful-e-bikes/#.XP0OYyUpDDs)

I also notice that Chinese-style ebikes have taken root in a big way in NYC’s
delivery business. Those cheap Chinese ebikes (and strange little service
garages for them) are everywhere now!

~~~
frabbit
All true. But they are not what many of us that are used to road bikes would
call beautiful.

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JackC
I just bought an ebike last week. I ended up looking at bikes that were "ugly"
(no attempt to hide what it is), cheap ($1250-$1500), and fast (class 3, up to
28 mph):

[https://www.aventon.com/products/aventon-
pace-500-complete-b...](https://www.aventon.com/products/aventon-
pace-500-complete-bike)

[https://ride1up.com/product/city/](https://ride1up.com/product/city/)

[https://www.juicedbikes.com/products/crosscurrent-s](https://www.juicedbikes.com/products/crosscurrent-s)

Out of those I went with the Aventon, which had a local bike shop selling and
supporting it.

50-mile impressions: it's fun; being a cross between a motorcycle and a bike
is the fastest way I know to get around Boston at rush hour; it feels safer
than biking, because I can almost always go the speed of car traffic and take
the whole lane without getting passed; 28mph is handy, even in rush hour city
traffic.

It's interesting knowing that these things can be made much more beautifully
-- it's still such a young industry that there's lots of room to figure out
new standards that will improve things for everyone. It will be neat to see
them evolve.

~~~
abbe_k
Wow, that is really fast for a bike. Are you allowed to drive these bikes on
all bike paths and such? Where I live (Sweden) they are limited to 25 km/h
(~16 mph).

~~~
JackC
California is the farthest ahead in regulating them in the US. 28 MPH is the
top speed for a "Class 3" bike, and is barred from some bike paths in
California:

[https://currentebikes.com/ebike-classes-
california/](https://currentebikes.com/ebike-classes-california/)

In practice I ride it like a car when I'm going car speed, and like a bike
when I'm going bike speed -- my goal is for it to always feel safe to people
around me given where it is.

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whenchamenia
This is a thinly veiled advert. There are nicer looking ebikes out there if
you are into form over function.

~~~
frabbit
Some of them manage to combine form and function (lower weight, securely
stored and weatherproofed batteries). One of the best review sites is
EBikeTips¹¸the sister site of road.cc.

I like the looks of the Ampler range a lot but am sadly not within their
distribution area.

1\. [https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/reviews/electric-
hybrid/ri...](https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/reviews/electric-
hybrid/ribble-hybrid-al-e-1879)

------
wffurr
I suppose it has a certain aesthetic but it's pretty far from what I consider
a "beautiful" bicycle. This one is a lot closer:
[https://www.instagram.com/p/BsVu9Idn8AO/](https://www.instagram.com/p/BsVu9Idn8AO/)

Also I am not sure someone like the author with an "aggressive" riding style
can be trusted with the extra power from an ebike. People like that are
aggravating enough with a standard track bike.

Not sure I want that kind of smarts in a bike either. App enabled, GPS
tracking? How long until a "my left shoe is bricked" firmware update, or the
company goes out of business and no one can unlock their bikes?

~~~
tachyonbeam
> I am not sure someone like the author with an "aggressive" riding style can
> be trusted with the extra power from an ebike.

Agreed. I have an ebike that peaks around 1250W (technically not legal). It's
a mountain bike with a mid-drive motor, and it can reach 35MPH on a flat road.
It definitely feels nice to have that kind of acceleration, but I fully
understand the reason for software speed limiting. Past about 20 MPH, it
doesn't feel very safe. At those speeds, I intuitively know that if I fall,
I'm in real trouble because I'm not adequately protected. The ebike is also
fast enough that the bike lane feels very slow. I definitely wouldn't want to
put this in the hands of annoying teenagers who will try to race each other
through the city, they'd kill themselves.

------
convery
Looks nice, but hopefully someone that has owned an E-bike can explain
something for me: should you remove that battery when you park the bike (for
fear of theft) or just for charging?

~~~
anotherboffin
I don't own one, but I rode quite a few and sold a lot of them (mainly powered
by Bosch systems) in a previous job.

It obviously depends where you live, but most of the time, it's recommended to
remove the battery for fear of theft, protection from the cold (part of the
year), and (obviously) charging. Protection from theft because a battery
generally represents a significant amount of the total cost of the bike. A 500
Wh Bosch battery runs around $1K, and I've seen more exotic ones run up to
about $2.4k. Also, they're not that easy to steal, but someone with the intent
of stealing could also damage the battery enough and compromise the weather
sealing (for example) which could be a significant security risk.

edit: clarification

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rstuart4133
It may not be ugly, but I wouldn't want one.

You want the weight as low down as possible. The heaviest thing is the
battery, so at a minimum you want that mounted near the peddle crank. The next
heaviest thing is the motor. Modern setups make the motor drive the pedal
crank.

Beauty does not mean functional. cf: high heeled shoes.

------
aasasd
Forget the battery, I'm now cursed with knowledge that I've chosen colors
clownishly wrong and did the lights horribly wrong on my last bike. Especially
compared to those VanMoofs.

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norswap
The bike looks great! But why choose the low handlebar?

Especially since this isn't a sports bike or a mountain bike (without
mudguards, imagine).

Do people really fancy being hunched over during their commute?

~~~
ebg13
People all over the world favor looking cool over being comfortable. Americans
extend that to bicycles as well.

~~~
Someone
To look cool, you want to be visible, so I would think looking cool is harder
with low handle bars.
([https://www.google.com/search?q=cycle+chic&tbm=isch](https://www.google.com/search?q=cycle+chic&tbm=isch))

~~~
ebg13
Half of the bikes in those photos have drop bars.

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danielscrubs
Beautiful bike? It looks like any other e-bike over here. And why would such a
subjective thing be put front and center?

We are better than this HN! Don’t upvote!

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seaghost
This bike is very bad for your back.

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tonyedgecombe
Nice although I prefer a crank motor.

~~~
amelius
Why? Could you explain the difference?

~~~
barbegal
You can have actual gears like on an ordinary bike so you can ride it normally
without the electric motor operating

~~~
yesimahuman
Can do that with a front hub motor as well, a very valid option

~~~
amelius
Does this particular bike (Cowboy) allow that?

