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Is Rad Power Bikes powering down? episode artwork

Nov 18, 2025 16 min

Is Rad Power Bikes powering down?

from Soundside Hosted by KUOW News and Information

If you purchased or rode an e-bike in the last 10 years, there’s a good chance it was a Rad Power Bike. The company, based in Seattle, was one of the first to popularize e-bikes with the general public, and grew to be the largest electric bike company in North America. But now, the company is on the brink of collapse. A spokesperson told Geekwire last week that Rad faces potential closure as early as January due to “significant financial challenges.” After virtually building the e-bike industry, and seeing demand quadruple during the pandemic, what went wrong for Rad Power Bikes? And can they recover? GUEST: Geekwire editor Taylor Soper RELATED LINKS: The rise and fall of Rad Power Bikes: From breakout success to the brink of shutdown - Geekwire Rad Power Bikes faces possible shutdown as it tries to survive ‘significant financial challenges’ - Geekwire Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

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Rad Power Bikes, based in Seattle, was one of the first to popularize e-bikes with the general public, and grew to be the largest electric bike company in North America. Now, the company is on the brink of collapse.

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Is Rad Power Bikes powering down?

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