!!! Unlocking your bike will make your bike illegal in most countries, atleast in the European Union.
An Android app to remove the speed limit of your Cowboy V1+, V2, V3 or V4(ST) bike, make it faster and other tweaks to make the bike even better.
Other cool Cowboy stuff: Click here for my Cowboy hardware customizations.
IOS information: This app will not become available for IOS, but you can use the IOS manual hack or use Cowboy Unleashed made by a fellow Cowboy and programmer.
Latest release 2022-03-22
Direct download Android: Cowboy Untamed V3.22
Version information: Version overview
If you like the app or the IOS instructions you're free to make a small donation.
You can do this securely via:
You're free to choose any amount you like.
If you don't have a Cowbow bike yet... use this refferal link for €100 discount on your new bike.
Sometimes the link just brings you to the Cowboy main page. If this happens use the "browse in private" mode of your browser. Other option is to erase your cookies.
Join the #Untamed group in the official Cowboy app.
Click here to join
Main Features:
- Disable speed limit of your Cowboy bike.
- Set field weakening to increase the maximum speed.
- Enable Auto Unlock on the V1+ model.
- Use shortcuts to unlock/lock your bike, turn on/off the lights. These can also be used in combination with the original Cowboy app and with automation apps like Tasker.
- Set and forget, just make the settings you want and start using the original Cowboy app again.
Quick Launch Presets in V3.xx:
- Quickly start your bike with one of three prefered settings without saving them to flash memory.
- Lower the default peddle to motor torque conversion. Lowering the assistance, making you work harder.
- Lower the maximum power output for given speed ranges. You can lower the power output for 10-20km/h so it's more easy to cycle along a non e-bike rider. But still have the punch to get going.
- Automatically start the original Cowboy app after selecting a preset.
Click here for more information on how to configure presets.
This app is created as a hobby project. I love electronics and programming and just could not resist if I could get more out of my Cowboy V1+ bike.
This is where I started finding out how the Cowboy bikes work. Which electronics they use and how the electronics communicate internally and with the outside world. I posted on Reddit and it got more attention then I had anticipated.
So use this app to remove the speed limit and enjoy your Cowboy even more!
Special thanks go to Runereader for making his Bronco code open source. This is my first Android app, pure hobby, so it is "as is".
You must allow installation from unknown sources to install the Cowboy Untamed APK file.
- Goto
Settingson your Android phone. - Goto
Security. - Check the
Unknown Sourcesoption.
Now you should be able to download and install the APK file.
For security reasons I recommend to disable this option after installing.
Note: Since some users buy a second hand Android phone just to use this app, make sure you have Android version 7.1.1 or higher.
This app can disable the speed limit of your Cowboy V1/2/3 bike. For V1+ owners, you can now enable the 'Auto Unlock' function normally only available on V2 and V3 bikes. When you only disable the speed limit you will be able to get up to 29km/h. At this point the motor magnetic field flux will start working against you. You can overcome this effect by using field weakening. A drawback of field weakening is the fact that it costs extra current, so your battery will be depleted faster.
I recommend a field weakening value of 15%. More then 20% would be inefficient and might cause damage to the motor. ASI advices a maximum of 25%, therefore the app is limited to 25%.
For those who do not want to write the settings "persistantly" to their motor controller, use the "Quick Launch Presets" instead.
If you use your bike regularly for, let's say, commuting I would recommend the procedure below for a set and forget approach. This way you only have to use the original Cowboy App after making the changes you want.
- Make sure the original Cowboy app has been closed completely (and apps like Bronco).
- No other devices may be connected via bluetooth to your bike.
- Make sure you are close to your bike.
- Open the Cowboy untamed app.
- Select the correct Cowboy bike.
- Slide the connect switch to the "on" position.
- Wait patiently for the app to connect.
- The other options will be enabled after the connection is established. The current values will be read from the bike.
- Your first time... take a note of the current settings to undo them later.
- Select Torque (no speed limit) - If you want to disable the speed limit.
- On the line enter the wanted field weakening value, lets say 15.
- Press the "TEST" button. The values will be send to your bike. You can ride the bike to test the settings.
Please note that once the bike is locked or the battery is removed the settings will be lost at this stage. - If you are satisfied you have to store the values "permanently" into the flash memory of the motor controller
Press the "FLASH" button to do this. - Move the connection slider back to the off position. The app will lock the bike and disconnect.
- Now you are done. You can start using your bike like you did before. You can use the original Cowboy app.
For me the sweetspot between excercise and still going fast came up with the following settings:
- Speed Limit: Disabled (duh)
- Field Weakening: 18
- Peddle Max Torque: 85
Use the same method as above, but entering the values you have written down on first use. Alternative method using my hardcoded defaults, unlock following the above mentioned procedure.
- Connect to the bike.
- Press the "DEFAULTS" button to fill in the default settings and send them to the bike.
- Press the "FLASH" button to store them in the flash memory of the motor controller.
You only have to do this if you flashed your settings before. Not if you only have used the "TEST" button. - Disconnect from the bike.
With this new feature (and second app icon) you can setup three presets (Slow, Normal, Fast) and quickly unlock your bike with one of these presets. Just long press the Cowboy Untamed Presets app icon and select one of the three presets. Clicking the Cowboy Untamed Presets app icon will unlock the bike with the last used preset. These presets are not stored in flash and will be reset after locking your bike.
A major drawback is that you always have to load the preset manually for each ride.
For more information about the configuration read: Configuring Presets.
Note: do not use the FLASH button in the main app while a preset is active. This will store the preset settings in flash memory.
I can confirm Auto Unlock is atleast working up to firmware V4.8.17 (V1+).
Note: after locking the bike has a grace period of a few minutes before enabling Auto Unlock after it's locked. Also your phone must been out of reach of the bike. For testing you can temporarely disable bleutooth.
The way to get it working:
- Connect to your bike with the Cowboy Untamed app.
- Switch on Auto Unlock.
- Disconnect from your bike in the Cowboy Untamed app.
- Disable bluetooth (for testing only).
- Wait for a minute or two.
- Enable bluetooth.
- Start the original Cowboy app.
- The LEDs on the bike should turn on and off slowly.
- The app should show you an Auto Unlock notification.
- Move your bike to unlock it.
There are some PCB and motor controller related issues that many Cowboys experience. Here are some workarounds in which Cowboy Untamed can help.
If your bike judders you may alter the 'Hall Interpolation Transitions' field of the motor controller. This field 128. Default this has a value of 1 (note: on some bikes this has been altered by Cowboy already). This means the timing of the motor will be measured after 1 full rotation of the wheel. So the motor 'understands' when to kick in. If this is not measured correctly the motor kicks in at the wrong moment and will judder. By increasing this value more rotations will be used and the value will be more accurate, so no judder.
You can alter this value on the Expert Settings page. Enter addres 128 and read the current value. Note the RAW value somewhere, this way you can always revert to this value.
Enter the desired RAW value, 8 and 15 are often used. Press write. You can now test your bike. If it functions well return to the main page of Cowboy Untamed and press the Flash button to make the change 'permanent'.
Note of warning: if you are using the 'Bronco' app there is a setting called 'Initial Torque'. This might sounds like you get more torque at startup. But infact is only chanching the 'Hall Interpolation Transitions' register.
A bug on the V1+ is a non working headlight, the taillight still works.
Can it be fixed? With the Cowboy Untamed app you can reset your PCB. This will not reset any settings but only reboot the communications PCB. 9 out of 10 times the headlight bug will be fixed (for a while). There is no fix from Cowboy yet.
Connect to your bike with the Cowboy Untamed app. Go to the Expert Settings and press the Reset PCB button. This will reboot the bike, shown by "running lights" on the main tube LEDs.
Note: It seems firmware V4.8.17 makes the headlight more reliable on the V1+.
With the Cowboy Untamed app you can reset your PCB. This will not reset any settings but only reboot the communications PCB. This might fix connection or communication problems.
Connect to your bike with the Cowboy Untamed app. Select Reset PCB (Fix headlight bug) from the menu. This will reboot the bike, shown by "running lights" on the main tube LEDs.
I think there is a quite solid base now for the future. Offcourse removing the speed limit was my main goal. Second I wanted to make shortcuts which I could use via Tasker.
I have discussed with other bikers and some of us would like to be able to set the support level. When you want to ride along with a non e-biker the support should be a lot less. The idea is to make speed dependant support. Let's say 0-10km/h you get the current support, 11-22km/h low to no support, 23->km/h regular untamed support. The levels can be set by the user. You can activate them via a long press shortcut.
These are ideas. I'm now ready to start exploring how to. I believe it can be done, but I want to do some serious testing with my own bike before I release it into the wild.
2021-05-29: Finally some nice weather. I did some testing this morning. At his point I made the following discoveries:
- Adjusting various gain settings did not give me the hoped response. I can't feel a real difference when I suppress the torque and peddle gains. This might need further investigation. Since I think it would be the best option to a natural feel in cycling.
- The other thing, which is working as expected, is setting the 8 power levels. For certain speed ranges you can set the maximum power output as a percentage. Default Cowboy uses 100% for all 8 levels. I tried adjusting them and it works flawlessly. You can set the power output in 8 stages. So you can still have 100% power to get up to 6km/h. Then you can set it to 25% for 6-20 km/h. You have to work a lot harder, but will preserve battery and it's a more fair game between you and a non electrified biker ;) Then you can set it to 75% from 20 km/h and up for example.
The major drawback of this system is you might need more power when going uphill... you won't get it untill you drop below a certain speed.
Therefore a gain based reduction would be better, but I'm not getting any usefull results with that.
2021-06-03: i did some more research and testing. I found a second setting which is interesting. I can adjust the maximum voltage range of the torque sensor. By raising this you have to peddle harder (get less assistance). This setting can be handy to put in a bit more effort yourself and spare battery power.
2021-06-08: A pre-release version of the Quick launch Presets.
The following whishes have popped up from users:
- Walk mode. A function where the bike propells its self at low speed. This can be handy when the belt has snapped. Technically it's possible via a hardware switch... now I have to figure out if it can be done by software only. It must be via an official function of the motor controller, because I don't want to do dirty hacks which can lead to failure or injuries.
- Auto Unlock without the original Cowboy app, some of you just want to grab the bike and ride. They don't need trip history, speed or what so ever. For this I need a background service which constantly scans for the bike. This must be done with an as low as possible battery usage. That part might be the biggest challenge.
This in combination with auto unlock and auto lock on the bike enabled could be handy for those users. - A watch app. Please note you can control Cowboy Untamed with Tasker. So if you instal a Tasker control app on your watch you can already achieve this functionality.
- A widget with the basic functionality like un/lock, lights & presets.
- Preset buttons in the main app.
2021-12-21: Good news, Cowboy untamed still works for the Cowboy 4(ST).
A fellow Cowboy was brave enough ;) to test it. It all seems to work fine. It seems they are using an ASI BAC500 controller. This one is compatible with my app.
2021-10-30: Today I found some registers in the new Cowboy app pointing at a C4 feature. Turning the phone charger on/off. This could mean that the main controller uses the same protocol.
Not yet sure about the motor controller, which is the most important part.
- Will there be an IOS version?
No, unfortunately I do not have (and have no intention to) an Apple developers account.
But you can do it manually, see: IOS.md. - Can I use another Android phone to make the settings?
Yes, you can use a different Android phone to make the settings and then switch back to your original phone. This can also be an iPhone. Also auto unlock should work with a V1+ and an iPhone. - When I download the file, nothing happens?
The file has been downloaded in the background. Go to the upper right menu in Chrome and select Downloads. Now select the file and install it.
You can also use a tool like CX File Explorer to goto your downloads and install it. - Why should I enter 15% or 18% for the field weakening values?
These are merely my advise. The lower you keep the percentage the better it is for your battery range. At the moment I'm using 18% on my V1+ bike. It feels speedy enough, going faster makes my legs go round like a mad man. It's fun for a while, but not for a longer stretch. So 18% is my sweet spot. I assume on a V3 bike 15% is a more likely figure because of the lower gear ratio compared to the V1 and V2. - Can the settings be undone?
Yes, if you have not tinkered with this app (or other apps like Bronco) you can write down your settings and re-apply them later. Using the defaults button can be tricky if Cowboy changes their default settings. Until now they didn't so you should be safe. - I want to make a donation, how?
Just click here to see the instructions.