[*Update: Kris Schamp from the Bike Gallery has posted some up-close and detailed photos of the Trek Lime.]
A while back I posted about how Shimano had chosen Portland as a pilot city to unveil their latest and greatest component group called Coasting.
This new group is supposed to revolutionize city bikes and appeal to a whole new group of people. Shimano is working with select companies to build bikes around it and one of them is Trek, who just wrapped up their big, secret, dealer-only get together in Wisconsin.
I know someone who attended the show and they just sent me this top-secret photo of Trek’s new “Lime” model that utilizes the Coasting group. They also test rode the bike and said it shifted amazingly well.
I think Portland is a perfect test market for Coasting and I hope to connect with the Shimano guys for an up-close look at it in the coming months.
[Editor’s note: Photo below was taken bike Kris Schamp of The Bike Gallery and added to this post on August 23rd]
This is exciting news for Portland and Trek.
I just hope that when they bring this bike to the market it really is a bike with Portland level accessories: real / full fenders, wheel lock, front basket, rear rack that can hold panniers while providing heel clearance, etc.
Oooooh, Spy photos! Bikeportland is going BIGTIME! Have you called Jay Graves for comment? I bet he was there too.
Now, we just need an audio recording of the next meeting between Kingsley and SK Northwest . . . and that missing Morning Zoo broadcast . . . Nice work.
Looks like very sweet stuff. I hope the bike builders get big into promoting cycling outside of the normal recreational channel.
Hey Jonathan, will you be able to make Interbike this year?
I’m in the beginning stages of doing a Nexus-8 conversion of a 1980 Trek. I think the internal-gears on city bikes is a concept who’s time has come here in the states. Add a dynamo front hub and fenders and you’ve got a simple all-weather city bike.
It could be simpler. It could be fixed…with no caliper brakes! 😀
Does anyone know what the price range will be?
looks like a k-mart huffy
If this kind of bike were available, more people might actually use their bike functionally — to go to the store, running errands, things like that. This is essentially a Dutch bike. The Bike Gallery has tried importing something similar (but far superior) before, but to no great success. When you put a functional bike next to a racing bike, people feel the ten pound difference and fool themselves into thinking they want a racing bike. But then, when that choice is not practical or comfortable, they decide they don’t like cycling. I hope people give this a try, but the idea has already been done — and better — by Trek Europe and Gazelle (among others).
I’m looking to get one of these trek’s before the release date of February 2007, anybody who has any information or pull with trek, I would really appreciate it. I genuinely need one of these bikes.
Or if anyone knows where I can get the Shimano system separate from the bike, that would be the next best thing.
Thanks
ok, I have to say you have to ride one of those. they make people smile. they made me smile. they made dealers smile. the geometry is similar a schwinn suburban and it is f’n dreamy. as far as the note above about how “it could be simpler with a fixed gear”…dude that is why the bike mfg’rs go out of business…that bike is meant for people who would never ever ride a fixed gear. and it doesn’t have canti’s…it has a coaster brake. it is the most outwardly simple bike trek makes.
all I can say is ride one in person. they are freakin’ fun to ride.
Oooh! More photos of this bike please? I think this post was written in 2006. Has this been launched? I already got a bike from Morpheus. In the future, I’d probably get another one.