# Rad Power Bikes: Mike Radenbaugh

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2020-09-07
- Length: 1h 10m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-07-rad-power-bikes-mike-radenbaugh

## Summary

Mike Radenbaugh, founder and CEO of Rad Power Bikes, explains how he launched the largest U.S. e-bike brand by starting with DIY conversions in high school and scaling through a successful Indiegogo campaign. He details the critical decision to design a fat-tire e-bike with a throttle for the American market, the operational nightmare of fixing backwards-installed brakes from a Chinese factory, and the strategic pivot to direct-to-consumer sales via Shopify. Radenbaugh also discusses navigating supply chain disruptions, including Section 301 tariffs, and managing explosive growth driven by the pandemic.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-07-rad-power-bikes-mike-radenbaugh#t=0) Introduction: Mike Radenbaugh and Rad Power Bikes
- [5:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-07-rad-power-bikes-mike-radenbaugh#t=353) Early DIY E-Bike Conversions and High School Origins
- [21:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-07-rad-power-bikes-mike-radenbaugh#t=1274) Co-founding Rad Power Bikes and the Fat Tire Concept
- [36:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-07-rad-power-bikes-mike-radenbaugh#t=2166) Indiegogo Campaign and First Factory Production
- [42:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-07-rad-power-bikes-mike-radenbaugh#t=2579) Supply Chain Failures: The Backwards Brakes Incident
- [44:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-07-rad-power-bikes-mike-radenbaugh#t=2683) Direct-to-Consumer Strategy and Digital Marketing
- [55:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-07-rad-power-bikes-mike-radenbaugh#t=3341) Scaling, Tariffs, and Pandemic-Driven Growth

## Topics

- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Rad Power Bikes (company)
- Indiegogo (other)
- Shopify (tool)
- Golfboard (company)
- Tesla (company)
- RadioShack (company)
- eBay (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

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- [#058 - Freedom to work and play anywhere without losing power, with Nancy de Fays of Linedock, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-07-04-058-freedom-to-work-and-play-anywhere-without-losing-power-with-nancy-de-fays-of) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [#65 Mid-Day Squares - National Target Launch, Business Therapy, and Dance Vibes with Jake Karls](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2022-10-18-65-mid-day-squares-national-target-launch-business-therapy-and-dance-vibes-with) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Against All Odds: Overcoming Huge Setbacks to Sell 5 Million Worldwide](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-05-15-against-all-odds-overcoming-huge-setbacks-to-sell-5-million-worldwide) (It's Only a Prototype)
- [389: Blobs Are Not Stressful](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-10-14-389-blobs-are-not-stressful) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

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