Americans urged to get on their bikes -- hybrid ones

By James B. Kelleher

CHICAGO (Reuters Life!) - Americans who haven't cycled for years but are worried about the environment are being urged to take up pedal power -- on a new hybrid bike unveiled on Friday.

Designers at the Trek Bicycle Corp., one of the largest U.S. bike makers, came up with the idea of a hybrid bike after noting Americans preferred automatic to manual transmissions in cars and were warming to the idea of hybrid powertrains.

The designers built a bike combining the two technologies -- and marketed it as an easy-to-use, environmentally friendly alternative to the car for short trips.

Calling the new bike Lime, they are hoping to lure the millions of adult Americans who haven't been on two wheels since they were children back in the saddle.

With just three speeds and old-fashioned, pedal-backwards brakes, the Lime isn't designed to appeal to Lance Armstrong wannabes.

It's designed for the more laid-back casual rider or daily commuter looking for affordable, stylish and basic transportation that can be customized -- the bike equivalent of Toyota's Scion brand.

The technological heart of the Lime is a three-speed automatic transmission developed by Shimano, which uses a computer sensor to monitor the bike's speed and shift the gears up or down.

When the bike is brought to a stop, the computer -- which runs on energy generated by the bike's front wheel -- automatically returns to first gear. When the rider encounters a hill, the bike automatically makes it easier to pedal up.