Did Lime switch to bike tyres ‘less suitable for London's roads’?

The company denies the change to cheaper Chinese tyres on its e-bikes was a cost-cutting measure, as more Londoners come forward with severe injuries.

Lime replaced the high-end German tyres on its London rental e-bikes with tyres made by a cheaper Chinese manufacturer, sources have told London Centric, as the company faces growing accusations it is prioritising profits at the expense of Londoners’ safety.

This week one lawyer told us he is bringing a dozen cases against Lime from injured riders.

One individual who until recently was involved in maintaining Lime’s London bikes said the company transitioned to using cheaper tyres. The process was completed by early 2024: “Lime used to use Schwalbe tyres, which are very puncture resistant and are treated with a soft grippy compound. Now, they have switched to a cheaper supplier. The compound on the outside is less grippy. It isn't as suitable for London's roads and weather."

The allegation comes as:

• More Londoners have approached London Centric with stories of their legs being severely broken after Lime’s heavy e-bikes fell on top of them, with the victims suggesting the design of the ubiquitous vehicles needs reappraising.

• One London hospital is automatically assessing patients coming to A&E after Lime bike accidents as potential trauma incidents due to the prevalence of severe “motorcycle-esque” injuries.

• One Lime user whose leg was almost severed in an accident alleged the company is leaving British taxpayers to pick up the bill for injuries caused by poor maintenance, branding Lime’s business model a “wealth transfer from British people funding the NHS to venture capital guys in California”.

• London Centric has seen Lime’s rider insurance policy, which requires users to be permanently disabled in a severe manner such as the “complete loss of one kidney” before it will pay out.

---

Do you have a story about Lime? Do you work for Lime? Get in touch anonymously and in confidence via email, WhatsApp, or encrypted communication.

---

Lime’s decision to swap to cheaper tyres made by the Chinese Chaoyang brand, which retail at half the price of the old German brand, could save the company hundreds of thousands of pounds a year given the size of the company’s fleet in the capital. Santander Cycles, the publicly-owned hire system run by Transport for London, continues to use the more expensive Schwalbe tyres for its rental vehicles.

A Lime spokesperson denied the switch to cheaper parts was financially motivated or had any impact on rider safety: “Lime always seeks to continually evolve and improve the safety, reliability, and user experience offered by its fleet. Our tyre selection is not cost-driven. Testing and experience has shown that the current Gen4 tyre outperforms those of prior generations on safety, including in both puncture resistance and braking performance.”

---

“For fuck’s sake check the brakes”

London Centric has spoken to a growing number of Londoners who have suffered life-changing leg breaks after riding Lime’s e-bikes, with more individuals coming forward after our initial investigation was published last month. All of them were riding during the daytime, while sober, and injured in accidents that did not involve another vehicle. And all of the riders, despite the severity of their injuries, insist they are supportive of rental e-bikes as a potentially transformative way of getting around London — but want Lime to improve maintenance and reassess the design of their heavy vehicles.

One man said he has struggled to walk for the last 18 months after the seat on his Lime e-bike fell-off mid-ride in Notting Hill, causing him to lose balance and fall onto the road. The 39kg (six stone) vehicle then landed on his leg, breaking it to such a degree that splintered sections of bone were left sticking through their skin. London Centric has seen footage of the immediate aftermath of this accident which is too graphic to publish.

“It broke my lower leg to the point where it was pretty much severed and both my leg bones came out and dragged along the floor,” the man said. He insisted that he remains a strong supporter of rental e-bikes which are “in theory a great solution for inner city transportation” but believes Lime needs heavy regulation by Transport for London.

Until that happens, he said the public need to do a full check of all rental e-bikes before using them: “We need to immediately make people aware: If you use Lime bikes, for fuck’s sake check the brakes, check the pedals, check the saddle.”

He argued that Lime should be spending more on maintenance and suggested the company is instead relying on the existence of a publicly-funded health service to piece riders back together with titanium implants: “Lime not fixing the bikes is a wealth transfer from British people funding the NHS to venture capital guys in California.”

NHS consultants have also told London Centric they are seeing a large uptick in the number of severe injuries in the capital caused by riders falling off Lime bikes in accidents that don’t involve other people or vehicles, with one leading trauma surgeon warning about a design that “ends up creating a pivot point” on a user’s leg in an accident.

The leg of Alex, a Lime e-bike rider who spoke to London Centric last month. He had his leg pinned back together after it was shattered by a bicycle.

---

“Complete loss of a thumb”

While many accidents will be due to rider error, one lawyer said he is bringing a dozen personal injury claims against Lime on behalf of Londoners who allege the condition of Lime’s e-bikes is to blame for their injuries. Sam Collard of Osbornes Law said: “Lime has a duty to provide their customers with equipment that works. If their customers are injured due to that equipment failing, we’ve got a case against them.”

Although Lime does have an insurance policy for customers involved in accidents, they have to be 15% permanently disabled while on the bicycle in order to qualify for a payment, which would be capped at £42,735. The degree of injury/disability is determined according to what the company terms the “permanent disability table”.

London Centric has seen the examples of injuries from the permanent disability table which will meet the 15% threshold for a payout from Lime’s insurance company:

---

The rest of this investigation, featuring more exclusive details, is only for London Centric subscribers. If you want to keep reading and support proper investigative journalism about the capital, click here to claim a 25% discount on a London Centric subscription.

---