A London surgeon has warned of a rise in serious injuries linked to Lime hire e-bikes, claiming he now sees “at least one patient a week” suffering from what has been dubbed “Lime bike leg.”
Speaking to the Telegraph, Alex Liddle, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon specialising in hip and knee surgery at King Edward VII’s Hospital, said: “I see at least one patient a week, which comes in after a Lime bike injury. It’s a really common cause of leg injuries today.”
Unlike experienced cyclists, who he explained are more likely to suffer “high energy” trauma such as head, chest, or multiple limb fractures after collisions with motor traffic, Lime-related incidents are usually “low energy” — people losing balance or having the bike fall on them while stationary.
“It’s almost always the lower limbs, from ankle fractures to tibia [shinbone] fractures, and soft tissue injuries around the knee — we don’t see many injuries from the knee upwards, but we’ve had the odd cracked pelvis,” he said. “However, it’s normally fractures either at the top of or in the middle of the tibia.”
Although comparatively “low energy,” the accidents can still be severe. “These bikes are heavy things, so there’s quite a lot of force that goes through the bone. We’ve had patients who’ve required plastic surgery for open fractures,” he explained.
Lime and Human Forest bikes lined up in the hire bay (credit: Islington Council)
One case involved a 21-year-old tourist who stopped at a junction only for the 35kg bike to topple onto her leg, leaving her with an open tibial fracture that required surgery. In another incident, a man broke his ACL after losing balance when a car pulled out in front of him — a fall made worse by the weight of a bag in the Lime bike’s front basket.
According to Liddle, many of those he treats are inexperienced riders. “Often we get a lot of tourists who aren’t used to the roads in London,” he said.
The bikes’ sudden motorised push also plays a role: “Quite often it’s people I see who were literally just taking off on the bikes; they get this unexpected push from the motor, and they then lose balance.”
Despite the rising number of injuries, the surgeon stressed that he views Lime’s presence positively, provided riders are aware of the risks. “They need to know how heavy they are, so they don’t stop suddenly on them.” When riding, he added, people should be “anticipating other traffic and stop signs, rather than braking too slowly,” and avoiding distractions such as mobile phones.
Mark Howarth, a solicitor with Simpson Millar, said his firm was also observing “growing concerns about serious injuries linked to hire bikes, particularly e-bikes that are heavier and faster than standard cycles.” He argued that first-time users often receive “little to no safety instruction before riding, which can contribute to misuse or loss of control, especially in busy urban environments.”
Liddle noted that the injuries he sees are distinct from those suffered by seasoned riders. “The experienced cyclists tend to have ‘high energy’ injuries. They are often hit by cars, or they will come off at high speed. They’ll have lots of upper limb defensive-type injuries, so chest injuries or head injuries, and normally multiple breaks.”
Even so, he insisted that the arrival of Lime bikes is overall “a good thing, as it encourages us to exercise,” while emphasising that awareness of the bikes’ extra weight and different handling is essential to prevent accidents.
Commuter cyclist on Lime hire bike (credit: Simon MacMichael)
This is not the first time Lime’s UK operations have been criticised for safety issues. In March, an independent inspection of the company’s London fleet found that nearly one in ten e-bikes had dangerous mechanical faults that should have taken them off the road.
An experienced mechanic assessed 50 bikes and concluded that 12 per cent were unsafe to ride, including machines with defective brakes. A further 18 per cent were missing parts, while 14 per cent showed brake problems — figures which raised questions about how thoroughly Lime responds to fault reports.
“The main issue for me is somebody jumping on a bike that for all intents and purposes looks fine to ride,” cycling instructor James Holloway told us at the time. “They suddenly hit the brake hard and they either find it’s not working as well as they’d like it to in the event of trying to avoid a collision — or that it binds on and causes them to skid.”
Lime responded by insisting safety was its “highest priority,” but acknowledged that bikes reported with faults are not always removed from service immediately unless the problem involves the brakes.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, the San Francisco-based company launched a £20 million ‘Action Plan’ to address widespread frustration about bikes left strewn across pavements and blocking dropped kerbs. The initiative promised better parking bays, quicker removal of obstructing bikes, and expanded technology to detect improper parking.