Cowboy saddles up with a brand new proprietor

The Brussels-based electrical bike firm has formally closed its deal to be acquired by ReBirth Group Holding, which additionally owns biking manufacturers Peugeot, Gitane, and Solex. The transaction consists of new, undisclosed funding from ReBirth in addition to €15 million ($17.6 million) from current shareholders. The funding will probably be used to restart manufacturing and take care of a backlog of spare components, the businesses say.

Rebirth is the mum or dad of Re-cycles, the French producer of conventional bicycles that took over accountability for Cowboy’s e-bike meeting operations earlier this 12 months. Cowboy was stricken by points in 2025, together with delayed deliveries and repairs, in addition to a expensive body recall attributable to a earlier manufacturing associate introduced the corporate inside weeks of chapter.

Cowboy, and its in-house design, engineering, and software program groups, will proceed to function independently from Brussels. However Cowboy founder and CEO Adrien Roose has left the corporate. “My hope is that this new partnership will make Cowboy extra dependable for riders in the long run. To maintain them on the street and supported in one of the best ways doable,” stated Roose in a press launch.

With the deal performed, priorities embrace the manufacturing of 1,500 new bikes in January to assist clear the backlog of orders. Clients ready on their e-bike will obtain up to date supply timelines “within the coming weeks.” Lead instances ought to be significantly decreased by Spring 2026.

The deal must also give Cowboy a better presence in France by leveraging ReBirth’s 95 Oxygen and 10 Ovelo bike shops, along with its community of 500 impartial bike sellers.

Long term, we will anticipate to see Cowboy’s e-bike smarts come to ReBirth’s different manufacturers. “Cowboy’s digital experience and platform capabilities may even assist innovation throughout different ReBirth manufacturers, making use of the identical data-driven techniques and instruments which have outlined Cowboy’s method to linked mobility,” reads the press launch.

“I wish to thank Cowboy’s founders for his or her imaginative and prescient, ambition, and the exceptional firm they’ve in-built a troublesome market,” stated Grégory Trébaol, CEO of ReBirth Group Holding. “This transaction opens a brand new chapter for Cowboy.”

Cowboy — like all bicycle makers — has suffered from the covid-era boom-bust cycle that wreaked havoc on the trade. A expensive body recall introduced in Might was practically disastrous. Cowboy needed to tackle short-term financing in August simply to maintain the lights on. Thankfully, it managed to keep away from chapter in contrast to VanMoof and, simply yesterday, Rad Energy Bikes. Others boutique e-bike makers like Ampler and GoCycle managed to seek out patrons earlier than the clock ran out.

With Cowboy acquired, the glory days of impartial, direct-to-consumer, e-bike startups that injected pleasure and innovation into the bicycle trade are actually nicely and actually over.