Rad Power Bikes

Rad Power Bikes is an American electric bicycle brand based in Seattle, Washington. Rad Power bikes are primarily sold in North America.

Rad Power Bikes

Company type	Private
Industry	Electric bicycles
Founded	2007
Founder	Mike Radenbaugh
Headquarters	Seattle, Washington , United States
Key people	Phil Molyneux (CEO)[1] Mike Radenbaugh (Chair)[1]
Products	Electric bicycles, accessories and related components
Number of employees	215
Website	radpowerbikes.com

History

The company's headquarters in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington

Rad Power Bikes was founded by Mike Radenbaugh in 2007. The company's business model is direct to consumer and it designs its products at its Seattle headquarters.^[2] Radenbaugh remained CEO until 2022 when he was replaced by Phil Molyneux.^[1]

Rad Power Bikes opened an office in the Netherlands in 2017. After economic challenges and four rounds of layoffs it left the European market in 2023 to focus on sales in North America.^[3]

In 2022 Jonathan and Kaye Steinsapir filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Rad Power Bikes after their daughter died while riding a RadRunner which was settled for a sum of $1.5 million.^[4][5] As part of a separate safety concern in the same year, Rad Power Bikes recalled RadWagon 4 model bikes due to an issue with some of the tires that could cause them to pop and for the rider to lose control of the bike.^[6]

Starting in September 2023, Rad Power Bikes announced that all of its e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries would meet UL certification. This was concurrent with a New York City requirement that all e-bikes sold be certified.^[7]

Rad Power Bikes has raised a total of $329 million in investments. It is the largest ebike brand in North America with more than 350,000 sales.^[8][9][10]

Battery issues and potential closure

After a post-pandemic decline in e-bicycle sales and demand, Rad Power announced to its employees in November 2025 that it faced "significant financial challenges" and would need to scale back operations. The company also filed a WARN notification with the Washington State Employment Security Department on November 10 that would involve a full shutdown of operations and termination of all 64 jobs at the Seattle headquarters by January 2026 at the earliest. Rad Power also cited the increased tariffs and "macroeconomic landscape" as factors in its financial situation.^[11]

On November 24, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a product safety warning for Rad Power Bikes that used two models of electric batteries. The agency had found that at least 31 battery fires had been linked to the two models, which were found to have a risk of "spontaneously igniting and exploding", especially when the battery was exposed to water or debris.^[12][13] Rad Power did not issue a recall and challenged the findings from the CPSC.^[12]

Models

Rad Power has made several model families of bikes, including the following:

• RadCity
• RadExpand
• RadKick
• RadRover
• RadRunner
• Radster
• RadWagon
• RadMission

Recognitions

In 2021, Rad Power Bikes was included in the inaugural list of the TIME100 Most Influential Companies.^[14]

Recognized by Fast Company and Inc. magazines as one of the most innovative and influential companies in 2021.^[15][16]