Used e-bike trade-in program at Rad Power Bikes stores aims to broaden electric mobility access

Seattle-based Rad Power Bikes is partnering with Upway, a marketplace for new and pre-owned electric bikes, to allow customers to trade in their current rides for a discount on upgraded models at eight RadRetail locations in the U.S.

The Upway Trade-in Program is intended to not only help riders get the latest tech, but also to support a sustainable, circular economy in which refurbished e-bikes are offered by Upway at lower prices.

Maxime Renson, general manager at Upway, said in a news release Wednesday that the partnership helps extend the life cycle of e-bikes and reduce waste, giving electric mobility access to an even larger group of people.

The program, which originally launched in 2023 and is currently used by more than 2,000 bike shops across the U.S. and Europe, provides valuation estimates across more than 200 e-bike brands.

When a customer brings in their current e-bike to a Rad location, they have the option to sell the bike on Upway or trade it and receive a discount on a new Rad bike at the store. Upway and Rad transport traded bikes to an UpCenter for refurbishment and resale.

Headquartered in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, Rad launched in 2007 and began selling e-bikes directly to consumers through online sales in 2015. It grew into the leading e-bike seller in North America and raised $304 million in 2021. Rad saw big demand during the pandemic as more people bought e-bikes, but the company has also been hit by multiple rounds of layoffs since 2021.

Rad’s current retail locations are in Seattle; Berkeley, Calif.; Santa Barbara, Calif.; Huntington Beach, Calif.; San Diego; Salt Lake City; Denver; and St. Petersburg, Fla.