Trek Lime
 

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I rather like these bikes, simple to ride, reliable, and some unique styling touches. Only thing they are missing is a front brake. One just showed up at work, I'll likely get to be the one to rehab it.

I had one years ago. Someone had turned the switch to off so it wouldn't shift so I got it cheap. Turned it back on and it worked.
I've had other "automatic" bikes (Autobikes, Landriders, Huffy Savanah) and this one does work better than any other. Shifting is pretty quick. Just suffers from the same problem as all other automatics, it shifts when it wants, not when you want. The all mechanical automatics grind between gears so on those you learn to ride at certain speeds. Up hills are a problem. Works best if you slow down at the bottom of the hill and ride a steady pace so it doesn't shift under load with out warning. Rapid stops can leave the automatics in a higher gear so it tries to down shift while you are starting up again.

IMO, Trek spent far too much on designing this line of Lime bikes. Overpriced for what you got new. The color accent kits were pointless. It was all about style. I found the ergonomics of the bike were a bad fit for me. Too upright and a short cockpit. Technically interesting but not a good rider for me so I sold it.

There is a small hole in the servo box where you can access the mode switch. Off, early shifting, normal, delayed, etc.

It definitely works best on flatter terrain. Handled the C&O Canal tow path nicely.

I am going to experiment with the different shift point settings.

I like the pinball machines.

It would be pretty exciting to get going 30 mph down a hill and then find one needs to stop quickly with only a rear coaster brake... Would've been a no-brainer to put a front rim brake on.

Nearly had this happen once, except the chain fell off immediately after slowing down at the bottom of the hill. Since then, I've added a front brake to almost every coaster brake bike I've worked on.

I've converted many derailleur geared bikes (70+) to coaster brake single speed and yeah, 27" with a coaster only is not good. The skinny tires will skid a lot and not slow you down quick enough. Fatter tires are fine. Same set up as on countless cruisers, kids bikes, sting rays, etc. I

I run a shop that is about 2 blocks from the city's skate/bmx park. I get kids every summer who's bikes keep throwing the chain. Every one is due to no or bad wrenching on them. Worn out pressed in 1 piece crank bearing cups or trashed rear hub bearings. Yo!, dad, the chain should not be as tight as you can get it. That will wear bearings and chains out very quickly. Kinda ironic that the biggest bearing surface wears out the fastest.

I was in the Outer Banks of North Carolina over the weekend and wished my Trek Lime was there for me to ride. I was riding several old Jamis Earth Cruiser bikes that are starting to show their age.

Am I the only person wondering about the prominently featured furniture polish?

Pledge is great for cleaning and shining up a frame. First shop I worked at used it extensively.

haha. I’ve been watching some YouTube videos from the BikeFarmer and he cleans bikes using furniture polish! So I gave it a try.

I remember those coming into the shop, they are a pain to work on. Certainly a simple looking bike but under the hood it is crazy.

The bike seems polarizing. Mine seems to be working fine and I’m enjoying experimenting with the shift point settings.

Yeah, not the simplest bike to work on, getting the chainguard apart can be a challenge, and all the extra bolts for the rear wheel does make fixing a flat more labor intensive. On the plus side, the shifting system itself seems quite robust, the system is powered by the front dynamo hub, the box knows how fast you are going based off the voltage it is receiving from the dynamo, and the rear wheel is basically a Nexus 3-speed, so you could even convert it to manual shifting if somehow the electrical system does completely fail. I have yet to come across one of these systems that didn't spring back to life with a bit of work, and I do know one mechanic who has thoroughly abused one as a winter bike that is still holding up well.

Weather was finally good enough to ride last Saturday. Been super cold with snowcrete this winter in the DC/Baltimore area.
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You know, if they just extended the chain cover design a bit more, they could have made it a totally enclosed chain. In fact, it could be an enclosed chain running in an oil bath, and it would be maintenance free and probably last forever as well.

It’s a fun bike. Not going to win any races on it. I like things that are unusual. I was glad I had the Lime last Saturday. The bigger tires were good with all the debris, sticks, twigs, and leaves on the bike path.

I suspect that I'm not smart enough to have something that thinks for me .... ....

The Trek Lime is divisive. The more I ride it the more I want to ride it.