Bootstrapped E-Bike Firm Hits 30K Monthly Sales Record

While competitors with hundreds of millions in venture capital collapsed around them, two childhood friends in Phoenix just sold 30,000 e-bikes in a single month.

Lectric eBikes co-founders Levi Conlow and Robby Deziel built their company the old-fashioned way. They bootstrapped for years, stayed profitable, and watched as flashier competitors imploded.

The contrast is striking. Rad Power Bikes raised $330 million and reached a $1.65 billion valuation before filing for bankruptcy in December. Its assets sold for just $13.2 million.

Meanwhile, Lectric shipped 150,000 units in 2025 and is expanding aggressively. The company has invested $10 million this year alone to launch three new brands: a relaunched Juiced Bikes, Juiced Powersports, and a premium adventure brand called Monarc.

Conlow sees opportunity where others see saturation. "I actually don't think the market is saturated right now," he told TechCrunch after listing a dozen competitors that had folded or left the U.S. market.

The strategy behind the expansion is deliberately unconventional. Instead of stretching the Lectric brand to serve every customer, Conlow keeps each brand separate with its own teams for product development, marketing, and customer service.

He even wants the brands to compete with each other. "There should be healthy competition between them," he said, ensuring they don't all end up looking and performing the same.

The newest brand, Monarc, launched this week with features that set it apart. Its first bike, the Marker, comes standard with two premium batteries providing 1,440 watt-hours of total capacity and includes a five-year warranty with real human phone support.

Conlow made a point of emphasizing that none of his brands will ever use AI for customer service. Real people answering phones matters to the company culture.

The brands operate independently but share Lectric's supply chain and purchasing power. Juiced Bikes has eight employees, Monarc has ten, while Lectric itself employs 170 people.

The Bright Side

This story offers a refreshing counter-narrative to the startup world's obsession with venture capital and explosive growth. Lectric proves that patience, profitability, and focusing on customers over investors can build something more durable than hype ever could.

The Phoenix company's 2 million to 4 million monthly website visitors speak to genuine demand, not manufactured buzz. They sell 90% of their bikes directly to consumers, building relationships instead of chasing valuations.

Whether Lectric will launch more brands remains open. "We have made our plate very full," Conlow said, signaling he's in no rush to overextend.

Sometimes the tortoise really does beat the hare.