Today, Belgian e-bike company Cowboy announced that it had fully moved its assembly operations to France.
The shift comes as part of Cowboy’s response to global supply chain disruptions that impacted the entire industry. Unlike brands that overstocked or struggled to recover, Cowboy stock levels remained lean as the company focused on strategic, long-term growth. However, this led to delivery delays for some customers.
I spoke to co-founder and CEO Adrien Roose to learn more.
According to Roose, while the industry thrived between 2010 and 2020, it exploded during COVID-19 — “positively in some ways, but with many challenges. Now, we’re facing a bit of a slowdown.”
“From a macro perspective, this is just a blip in the road. The industry is going through a rollercoaster, but we believe it’s stabilising.
However, the unpredictability in demand has made supply chain management difficult. Some companies had too many parts, others had too few, and that created real challenges."
Roose detailed that in response Cowboy has been prudent with cash by only buying parts after receiving orders.
“We didn’t have the ability to build buffer stock in an unpredictable environment. That’s why we made a strategic decision to change our assembler.”
We needed a manufacturing partner that could support our business in a way that allows us to build stock without straining our cash flow.”
The company began the process last summer, meeting with nearly a dozen contract manufacturers across Europe.
Cowboy partnered with ReCycles, a renowned French manufacturer with over 30 years of experience producing for brands like Peugeot, to assemble its bikes in Romilly-sur-Seine.
This strategic nearshoring move enhances production quality, reduces delivery times, and strengthens customer support as the brand seeks to meet the demand for its ebikes across Europe.
As the most advanced ebike on the market, Cowboy integrates cutting-edge technology with precision engineering, requiring expert craftsmanship to ensure the highest standards of performance and reliability.
According to Roose, ReCycles has decades of experience building e-bikes and offers operational advantages, including economies of scale and stronger supplier relationships, which will prevent Cowboy’s previous supply chain pain points.
Roose emphasised:
“We acknowledge and apologise for the delays some customers have faced recently, and we have taken decisive action to fix this,”
We want to be clear—our bikes are shipping now..
For customers who have been waiting, we appreciate their patience.
As we ramp up production, availability for our bikes continues to grow, and once we reach full capacity, bikes will be delivered within days—getting more riders in the saddle faster than ever.
We’re making the best decisions possible for long-term success, and we’re excited for what’s ahead.”
This partnership also marks a shift for ReCycles, expanding its production from traditional bicycles to high-tech e-bikes. The company is developing a new 25,000 m² production site by 2027, reinforcing France’s leadership in sustainable mobility.
Gregory Trebaol, CEO of ReCycles, welcomed the partnership:
“We are thrilled to assemble Cowboy bikes in France. Cowboy is the world’s most advanced e-bike, combining cutting-edge technology with sleek design and a seamless riding experience. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to quality, innovation, and making Europe a global hub for the cycling industry.”
With assembly now ramping up, bikes are already shipping to riders across Europe, marking a new chapter in Cowboy’s growth.
In addition to production improvements, Cowboy is reinforcing its commitment to after-sales service. Riders now have access to 125+ service locations and mobile technicians across 40+ cities, alongside a multilingual customer support team in its Brussels HQ, now responding in just 10 minutes on average.
Roose detailed:
“We’ve made a lot of changes — from the way we hire and train people to integrating AI into our customer service tools. We’ve also improved logistics by stocking parts more efficiently and enhancing partnerships with bike shops.
It took time for everything to click, but over the last few months, we’ve really started to see the results.”
Cowboy has built strong relations across Europe and the UK and now has over 100 partners across its key markets.
Lead image: Cowboy. Photo: uncredited.
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