cowboybikes.co.uk UK Recall Advocacy

Cruiser ST & C4 ST Owner Accountability Portal
UK OPSS Safety Recall 2504-0239 • Unactioned Remedy

Cowboy Cruiser ST & C4 ST:
Catastrophic Frame Shearing Failures.

The UK Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) issued an official product safety recall for the Cowboy C4 ST and Cruiser ST (Edition MR) due to welded joints between the headtube and downtube failing in service.

Months after Cowboy instructed riders to cease riding immediately, UK owners remain stranded without repairs, replacements, or statutory refunds. This portal provides unedited photographic documentation, identifies executive management, and equips owners with statutory legal notices to recover their money.

Generate Refund / Section 75 Notice Inspect Breakage Photographs

EN 15194

Failed safety standard

Serious

OPSS hazard classification

CRA 2015

UK statutory refund right

Photographic Evidence #1 Total Frame Severance
Sage green Cowboy ST snapped completely at headtube downtube
Tap to inspect high-resolution

Catastrophic weld failure on a sage green Cowboy step-through frame. The structural aluminium joint severed entirely, leaving the front fork and handlebar assembly held to the rear frame only by internal electrical harness cables.

Technical Analysis

The Frame Weld Defect Explained

Standard diamond frames distribute stress across a top tube and down tube. Step-through e-bikes concentrate all torsional and shear forces into a single junction where the downtube attaches to the steering headtube.

Inadequate Weld Penetration

Metallurgical examination of affected "Edition MR" frames reveals insufficient root weld penetration into the aluminium tube wall, inducing micro-fissuring under cyclic road vibrations.

Instantaneous Brittle Failure

Aluminium does not bend progressively like steel. As demonstrated in the photographs below, once micro-cracking reaches critical threshold, the entire tube shears cleanly and instantly at road speed.

Breach of Safety Standard EN 15194

The Office for Product Safety and Standards concluded that the model does not comply with the durability and mechanical safety requirements of EN 15194 or the Supply of Machinery Regulations 2008.

Identifying an Affected Bike

Affected models primarily include the Cowboy C4 ST (Step-Through) and Cruiser ST fitted with frames from the "Edition MR" manufacturing batch.

Step 1: Check App Open the Cowboy App → Settings → Advanced → Bike Details. Check if frame manufacturer indicates "Edition MR".
Step 2: Inspect Seam Examine the weld ring below the headset for hairline lacquer cracks, flaking powder coat, or paint discoloration.
Step 3: Stop Riding If your bike matches the OPSS notice, do not ride it. Retain the bike as physical evidence for statutory refund claims.
Unedited Visual Documentation

Photographic Fracture Archive

The following unedited photographs document the real-world consequence of the structural weld defects subject to OPSS recall notice 2504-0239. Click any image for full-screen analysis.

Broken cowboy bike 1.jpg Asset #1 • Full Frame

Complete Mid-Frame Cleave

File: Broken cowboy bike 1.jpg

Sage green frame broken entirely across the main structural spar. The bike collapsed to the pavement with the front wheel assembly detached from the pedal carriage.

Inspect high-resolution view
Broken cowboy bike 2.jpg Asset #2 • Macro Fracture

Fracture Surface & Wall Section

File: Broken cowboy bike 2.jpg

Macro detail showing the raw torn edge of the extruded aluminium tube immediately above the "COWBOY" decal, with internal electrical conduit wires exposed.

Inspect high-resolution view
Broken cowboy bike 3.jpg Asset #3 • Seam Detail

Upper Headtube Seam Separation

File: Broken cowboy bike 3.jpg

Close-up of the upper headtube juncture and lower tube interface. The aluminium weld joint has detached completely, leaving severed and stressed internal cables bridging the void.

Inspect high-resolution view
Broken Cowboy bike 4.jpg Asset #4 • Weld Shearing

Clean Structural Detachment

File: Broken Cowboy bike 4.jpg

Top-down documentation of a black Cowboy step-through frame that sheared during road use. The fracture mirrors the exact headtube weld line identified in OPSS Case 2504-0239.

Inspect high-resolution view
Broken Cowboy bike 5.jpg Asset #5 • Roadway Failure

Roadside Collapse & Total Loss

File: Broken Cowboy bike 5.jpg

Black Cowboy Cruiser ST lying collapsed beside a bus lane pavement, chained to a lamppost following catastrophic frame separation. This demonstrates the acute risk of severe injury when structural failure occurs in mixed traffic.

Inspect high-resolution view
Statutory Protection

Your Rights Under UK Consumer Law

Voluntary recall communications do not replace your statutory rights. British consumer law provides enforceable routes to full monetary refunds when goods are defective or recall repairs are unreasonably delayed.

Consumer Rights Act 2015

Goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and safe. An e-bike with a fractured frame weld breaches these statutory conditions.

  • • Right to repair within a "reasonable time" without significant inconvenience.
  • • Failure to repair within reasonable months triggers the final right to reject for a refund.
  • • Cowboy cannot compel you to accept indefinite waiting periods.
Governs direct purchase contracts with Cowboy

Section 75 (Credit Card Protection)

Did you pay any part of the purchase (£100 to £30,000) using a UK credit card or regulated finance?

  • • Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, your bank is jointly liable for breach of contract.
  • • UK owners have successfully recovered 100% of their purchase price through bank claims when Cowboy stalled.
  • • Applies even if only the initial deposit was paid by credit card.
Primary avenue for recovering funds

General Product Safety Regulations 2005

Distributors and manufacturers are legally prohibited from placing unsafe products on the UK market.

  • • Recalls must be implemented effectively without displacing risk onto consumers.
  • • Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) cannot waive public safety reporting obligations.
  • • Enforced by the OPSS and local Trading Standards services.
Enforced by British regulatory authorities
Interactive Legal Tool

Statutory Notice Generator

Customise pre-drafted statutory notices citing UK statutes. Select your recipient below to generate a formal demand for refund to Cowboy SA, a Section 75 claim to your credit card issuer, or a regulatory complaint to the OPSS.

Notice Preview

Copy and paste this letter into an email or your credit card issuer's dispute portal. Retain email timestamps as formal evidence.

Official Escalation

Hold Cowboy & ReBirth Accountable

Report unactioned recall cases directly to British authorities. Systematic reporting obligates regulators to investigate recall non-compliance under the General Product Safety Regulations.

Lead Regulator Ref: 2504-0239

Office for Product Safety and Standards

The national authority responsible for supervising product recalls and enforcing safety compliance on machinery and electric transport.

Email: opss.enquiries@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Subject: Formal Complaint: Unactioned Recall 2504-0239 (Cowboy ST)

Email OPSS Direct
Trading Standards Freephone

Citizens Advice Consumer Service

Citizens Advice logs consumer reports directly into the national Trading Standards database used by local authorities to investigate unsafe commercial practices.

Helpline: 0808 223 1133

Advice: Request referral to local Trading Standards for breach of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Log Online Report
Parliamentary Action Westminster

Contact Your Member of Parliament

MPs can submit ministerial enquiries to the Department for Business and Trade regarding foreign companies trading unsafe consumer goods without effective UK redress.

Portal: TheyWorkForYou.com

Focus: Highlight the immediate road hazard of frame shears and absent manufacturer remedy.

Locate Your MP
Corporate Governance

Executive Management & Ownership Accountability

Product safety recalls and consumer statutory remedies are the legal responsibility of executive management and controlling owners. UK consumers seeking resolution have a right to know the individuals directing Cowboy SA and its parent entity.

Cowboy SA — Operating Leadership

Brussels, Belgium • Commercial Distributor & Recall Undertaker

KF

Kjell Fastré

General Manager

Appointed General Manager at Cowboy SA. Co-leads executive management, customer commercial strategy, and brand operations following corporate restructuring.

OB

Oliver Barleben

General Manager

General Manager responsible for Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Operations, and Engineering at Cowboy SA. Directly oversees recall parts logistics and replacement frame pipelines.

TG

Tanguy Goretti

Co-Founder & CTO

Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Cowboy SA, directing proprietary hardware architecture and connected vehicle software platforms.

AR

Adrien Roose

Former CEO & Co-Founder

Led Cowboy during the development, commercial rollout, and initial recall announcement of the Cruiser ST4 series before stepping down following the ReBirth Group transaction.

Controlling Shareholder & Manufacturing

Saint-Lô, Normandy, France • Majority Owner

GT

Grégory Trébaol

Founder, CEO & Chairman

ReBirth Group Holding SA / Rebirth Cycles France

Grégory Trébaol is the founder and chief executive of Groupe Rebirth (Rebirth Cycles France), the French mobility conglomerate that acquired majority control of Cowboy SA. ReBirth operates extensive e-bike manufacturing plants in Saint-Lô, France, and controls historic cycling brands including Solex, Matra, and Gitane.

Manufacturing & Capital Integration:

ReBirth Group Holding injected €15 million in capital and integrated Cowboy's production into its French assembly facilities. As controlling parent company, Groupe Rebirth possesses direct industrial and financial responsibility for resolving unfulfilled safety recalls and fulfilling statutory end-user obligations across the UK and Europe.