I ride about four to six miles per day, and now have about a thousand miles on the bike.
Put an orange “Peelz” kit on it
(cost of the color kits is low, as they are close out, and the shipping was free for me, a reviewer).
People love the bike and always ask questions.
I explain that it’s fun to just hop on a cruiser,
one that starts off in low, and then, like your auto transmission car,
shifts up and down, while you just cruise along.

The Lime was geared too low for my age, sex, and flat terrain.
A simple swap of the rear cog from 22T to 18T makes the bike better for my wants;
this bike is a fifteen mph cruiser now, though I am now a fifty seven year old geezer ; )

PS: a Trek Lime turns heads. I wear a Lime safety shirt.
No cars ever come near to hitting me.
I won’t wear a helmet, either: helmets and Lycra
take the fun out of the ride, imo,
and cars don’t seem to respect you as much
as when you look like a fluorescent parade item ( :

The mild exercise and the mental benefits of biking in full upright,
comfort seating, and I put a Thudbuster to it too,
make this Lime like a boat ride on gentle waters.
Fun. Snicks up and down through the gears with rarely any “grunch”.
A future collectible bike, perhaps. I’ll keep mine for life. It makes me and others happy,
this fun, now-rare bike. It is a sorrow that there won’t be any more of them, not likely…

I bought a Trek Lime Light for its styling, simplicity, and it was on sale. Being a bit older (61) my two boys tell me I buy nothing unless i have a coupon or it is on sale. While purchasing my Lime Light, also bought my wife a Trek Coaster. We are enjoying them, and I really like the fact that I can get out and ride 10-15 miles pretty much care free and just peddle.

I have a Torker Cargo T, it comes from the factory at ~45 LBS~. THAT’S heavy. And it comes with a drum brake front and a coaster break rear so you don’t have to restrict your tires to a narrow subset of the tire spectrum, to make them removable.

And yes, I wanted big fat tires, for a nice soft ride. (I weigh 325lbs, tires/wheels are always a concern.) No, I didn’t want a humongous heavy bike, I just figured, it’s what you get with fenders and front and rear racks. (The average pickup truck weighs in a good deal heavier than the two seat commuter car, too.) If you want that sort of load carrying, its what comes with it.

So why not the Torker Cargo T as a paradigm for modern bicycles? It is stout/sturdy, and if it had more gears, 8 or 11 speed, it would be almost perfect. Add a couple of lights, swap out the steel frame for aluminum, put 2.35 Schwalbe Big Apples on it, and Bob’s your uncle.

Even better than the 8 speed would be the Nu Vinci CVPT (continuously variable planetary transmission). Unlimited gears!

Why not the shaft drive, or the belt drive? Are you sure from looking that you can use any tires you like on them, without rubbing on the drive shaft or the drive belt? I declined to buy the belt drive for precisely that reason. (One of three finalists, all around $650) If I could look at it, I might have decided differently. When the other choice turned out to be over my price point I bought the Torker. Yes, sight unseen but at least it was available at a normal shop.

Would I do it again? No, I’d have bought the Torker but with an after market rear wheel with the Nu Vinci tranny (from Joe Bikes, Portland, Oregon). Not bad for my first attempt though.

My 21sp Townie needs constant maintenance… things need to be constantly tweaked, aligned, lubed, de-greased, washed and re-lubed, adjusted, replaced and bodged back into shape. Next bike is gonna be a 9 or 11sp IGH, with the new FSA Metropolis cranks.

A 9sp IGH that shifted itself with coaster brakes and a belt drive would be awesome… Shimano’s problem was that they should have merged the Alfine and Coaster product lines, and had them borrow technology from each other.

Aside from the shortcomings of most entry level bikes, there are many reasons why most people prefer other means of transportation:

People don’t like to pedal or balance on 2 wheels.
People don’t like to be exposed to the elements and arrive dirty and sweaty.
Most bikes are uncomfortable for long distances.
Most bikes are unsuitable for hauling cargo.
People feel unsafe on bikes.
Bicycles are considered by many a “lower” form of transportation and convey low status. High status only exists in high end bikes among hardcore enthusiasts.

While better infrastructure and improved bicycle designs could help to improve upon many of these shortcomings, the ‘Consumer Product for Personal Transport’ represents an opportunity to completely rethink how we attack the problem. Reading again the original premise, you might envision a vehicle very different from a bicycle:

Does not need to be balanced. Perhaps it is lean-steering or self-balancing. Does it have 1,2,3, or 4 wheels?
Electric powered, electric assist or alternative human powered drive system.
Comfortable and easy to enter/exit, while providing weather protection and secure cargo capacity.
Seamlessly integrated with existing forms of transportation, including cars, buses, trains and planes.
A feeling of safety and security in any traffic condition.
Affordable (Does that mean cheap as a bicycle?)
A fresh, “gotta have it” appeal that attracts people emotionally and conveys status. “Fun to ride” factor.
The auto industry has been experimenting with some very interesting new concepts in personal mobility that shatter the conventional notions of cars. Honda’s U3-X and GM’s EN-V concepts represent very different takes on the possibilities in personal urban transport.

Think about it.