Rad Power Bikes
Mike Radenbaugh
Welcome to the open-source case for Rad Power Bikes. What makes this story worth the treatment is its roots: Mike Radenbaugh grew up among the Redwood trees on the Lost Coast of Northern California, raised by "tree hugger parents and tree hugger neighbors," and turned a 16-mile hilly commute problem into a mission to get more people out of cars and onto bikes. That origin gives the company a rare throughline — from a kid who wanted to bike to school without arriving exhausted to a business selling affordable electric bikes directly to consumers, generating $100 million in revenue in 2019. To trace that arc, we use four lenses: the Founder Story shows how Radenbaugh's nature-connected upbringing sparked the idea, the Golden Circle captures why the company exists — to transform urban transportation and make human-powered mobility accessible to anyone who wants to ride without breaking a sweat — the Lean Canvas maps how it makes money and operates, and the Empathy Map brings us close to riders like "Rural Mike," who needs to conquer a hilly commute without wearing himself out.
