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Free update makes Cowboy e-bikes better climbers and more efficient

Better on hills and flats.

By Thomas Ricker, a deputy editor and Verge co-founder with a passion for human-centric cities, e-bikes, and life as a digital nomad. Cowboy is rolling out a free over-the-air update to its single-speed, belt-driven e-bikes that promises to flatten steeper hills while also making its 250W rear-hub motor more efficient when the road levels out — no gear changes required. As Cowboy explains it, adaptive power relies on a proprietary (and once contested) algorithm that monitors the electrical output of the motor controller and the real-time data collected from the torque sensor.

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