Rad Power e-bikes can be rented in Berlin via a partnership with the local firm Cycle. Monthly subscriptions in the German capital priced 79.90 (roughly $78) for either a RadRunner utility e-bike or a RadWagon e-cargo bike. Subscriptions can be month-to-month or for the whole year.
For context, a brand revived RadRunner 2 charges 1,449 in Europe, which you’ll pay after 18 months of renting.
Subscription prices cover repair services booked in the Cycle app if something shatters. And, for an extra monthly fee, there’s a peace-of-mind package that lowers the deductible in issues of damage and theft. The subscription bikes can also be equipped with alternatives like baskets and racks (though it’s unclear if these costs are extra).
It is Rad Power’s first subscription offering. The US-based company is feasting the Berlin launch as a pilot of its bicycle-as-a-service strategy popularized by companies like Swapfiets across Europe.
“We want to comprehend the size of the demand.”
“With this pilot, we desire to understand the size of the demand and the exact value these clients are looking for,” Arno Saladin, Rad Power’s European business director. “This will allow us to determine the optimum value proposition and the demand potential.”
Rad Power will compete in Berlin with Swapfiets, which offers e-bike subscriptions at 59.90 per month. Cycle, which has traditionally catered to carriers and logistics companies, serves in over 50 European cities in Germany, Italy, Austria, and the Netherlands. That should position the company to expand the Rad Power pilot should all go well quickly.
Mike Radenbaugh was a teenager tinkerer before he became the Founder & CEO of North America’s largest e-bike maker. He’d spend hours in his parent’s garage soldering spare electronic components to an old bicycle in hopes of developing a better way to conclude his hilly and rural 15-mile passage to high school.
The result was “The Frankenbike,” a battery-powered passage that could outpace cars and get him to class without hurting a sweat. His mom proposed a catchy name for the new project: Rad Power Bikes.
Mike made a name for himself, altering traditional bicycles to electric bikes, trading them by word-of-mouth, at regional craft fairs, and via newspaper ads. The “ebike guy,” as he was comprehended to locals, had a vision for a rugged, comfortable, professionally crafted, and high-performance e-bike that could replace car, truck, and SUV trips on a massive scale. So he teamed up with Ty Collins, his preadolescence friend, and marketer, for a thrilling next step: crowdsourcing the outcome of Rad’s first flagship product.
Within 30 days, Rad increased $320,000 to begin building the all-new RadRover, an electric fat tire bike that would transform the entire industry. Following the breakthrough hit of the RadRover, Mike began to explore other designs that could bring individuals out of their automobiles and into the bike lane.
The RadWagon electric cargo cycle was after joining the line-up. But, again, it lifted the bar for what individuals could do on two wheels, thanks to an extended frame, a roomy staging site for child chairs, and a jaw-dropping 350 lb. weight capability.
Next reached the RadMini, an electric folding bike fine-tuned for apartment-dwellers and RV explorers. Then the RadCity for commuters peeking to sidestep traffic. Step-thru models soon entered the mix, pulling down longstanding barriers to cycling and thickening Rad’s reputation for accessibility.
With each unique model, Rad’s engineering team grew, establishing a pace for better, more innovative bikes every year. The batteries slimmed down; the frames rose more refined. With so many new riders excited about taking them for a spin, Rad Power Bikes fast found themselves as the commanders of an emerging enterprise.
With over 450,000 riders worldwide and more jumping in the harness daily, Rad Power Bikes is committed to additionally than award-winning electric bikes. Instead, they are laser-focused on redefining the ride at large.
The creative spirit behind Mike’s first ebike continues to guide us, whether through bold new offerings like the RadRover 6 Plus, a strong customer support team, or new retail stores that can get the power of electric bikes directly to your community.
As the direct-to-consumer ebike motion pioneers, they’re dedicated to helping start the adventure on their terms: no third-party retailers, wholesalers, and markups.
It’s all a reflection of a longstanding one-on-one strategy: design products that handle customers’ specific needs and entrust them with the support to remain moving.