Mike Radenbaugh was just a teen in Garberville, California, when he began making motorized and electric bikes in the family garage.
It took Mike about 6-months of trial and error before he was able to create an electric bike, with speeds of up to 35MPH, that didn’t fry wires or burn out the battery in minutes. He called his creation Frankenbike.
Today, Radenbaugh is the CEO of the Seattle-based company Rad Power Bikes. In 2019, the company had reached $100 million in sales.
The company’s best-selling bike, Rad Runner, retails for slightly less than $1,200, has extra fat, wide tires to absorb shock, and can reach speeds of 20MPH, which means that no license, no plates, and no permits of any kind are required.
The battery pack is no larger than a loaf of bread. It takes about 6 hours to fully charge and it has a range of 20-30 miles.
Despite the booming business, the company was forced to lay off about 100 employees in April 2022.
Rad Power Bikes maintains a corporate office in Seattle, Washington.
