Rad Power Bikes, a famous American e-bike brand raised more than 300 million dollars for the past two years, will start offering bikes as a subscription service next week. The company is cooperating with Cycle, an e-bike subscription service based in Berlin serving transport and last-mile delivery carriers, to pilot the offering in Berlin.
Starting September 22, Cycle will offer two cargo bikes, RadRunner and RadWagonRent with starting price of €79.90 per month and a choice between a monthly rental or an annual contract, according to Cycle.
The partnership is Rad’s first subscription game, which is already super focused on direct-to-consumer sales but wants to attract a new segment of customers who prefer paying for e-bikes over e-bikes. owns it outright, according to Arno Saladin, Rad’s European business manager.
“With this pilot, we wanted to understand the scale of demand and the exact value these customers were looking for,” Saladin told TechCrunch. “This will help us determine what the optimal value proposition is and potential demand.”
Partnering with Rad to offer a consumer-focused subscription service is also new to Cycle, formerly GetHenry. In its short life span, the startup primarily caters to the needs of last-mile delivery and fleets. Cycle has its own in-house developed cargo bike that is used by a wide range of courier and fleet customers, but in the spirit of variety and choice, Cycle started adding Rad bikes to its lineup. their own in 2020.
“The unique look of Rad Power Bikes caught the attention of many on the street,” Luis Orsini-Rosenberg, Co-founder and CEO of Cycle, told TechCrunch. “Since we added vehicles to our fleet, not a week has passed without an email from a private customer asking to buy or rent them from us.”
Cycle has the on-site operations, bike maintenance and subscription infrastructure to make it work in Berlin, so all Rad has to do is deliver. Customers will be able to collect the fully assembled e-bike from Cycle’s workshop in Berlin’s trendy neighborhood of Kreuzberg. Service is obviously included and you can reserve a repair using the Cycle app. Paranoid customers can add a “peace of mind” package that will significantly reduce excess funds in the event of major damage or theft.
