by Wobbling along on a worn, muddy Lime bike is a journey that is becoming increasingly familiar to commuters. But are you taking it to the premiere of your new Oscar-winning film? Fewer.
Timothée Chalamet’s appearance on the red carpet at A Complete Unknown on a Lime in London marks a new high for the chunky electric bikes that have shifted gears from the mundane to the cool in recent years.
Chalamet rode the red carpet, struggled to get the unwieldy machine onto its stand and then apparently stood up to pay for his ride, drawing Hollywood attention to the transportation company. Even the idea of the actor being fined £65 for parking in the wrong zone – an easy pitfall given the sometimes confusing no-parking system – added to the appeal.
Although the company says it is too early to measure the impact on the business and is not sure who fined it, with the fine ranging from £2 to £20, the crime scene was undeniably a valuable revelation. Ellie Bird, Lime’s UK brand leader, says it wasn’t staged: “We had no idea it was going to happen… I was on the train home when I saw the first picture. I sent my colleague a message saying “Isn’t this a good/funny AI?” before we realized it was actually real.”
Some PR experts argue that it may have been more planned on Chalamet’s part. “Ultimately, Timothée is in the middle of a press tour and everything he does is very contrived, even though it may seem organic and ‘random,'” says Sasha Mills of communications agency Pacer.
She points to the live stream from last year in which Chalamet dances wildly to the Black Eyed Peas. “It was supposed to seem chaotic, but a team of over 10 people worked on it,” she says. “Considering that the director who worked on the live stream, Aidan Zamiri…posted a number of BTS [behind the scenes] I would assume this was a manufactured moment aimed at amplifying the noise surrounding the premiere in a London-specific way.”
Whether staged or not, choosing a lime was a wise decision. The company’s cultural revival has begun, sparked by young male celebrities such as Harry Styles, Paul Mescal, Leo Woodall and Jonathan Bailey choosing its bikes to ride around the capital. Pop stars Mahalia, Lorde and Olivia Rodrigo also appeared on them.
While Lime bikes are available in Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham and Derby – as well as worldwide – London seems to have developed a particular soft spot for them. Footage online of rows of bikes lined up at park entrances is being likened to “London’s Terracotta Army”.
Related: Timothée Chalamet claims he was fined £65 for parking a Lime bike at the premiere of A Complete Unknown
Charli
At London Fashion Week in September, a creative duo released a bag inspired by the front basket of the bicycle. “For some strange reason, Lime has undeniable credentials in the fashion industry,” say Tom Snell and Dylan Hartigan from the creative agency Or. “The bikes are even accessories in themselves and the baskets already serve as a handbag for the jacket, the lip gloss or the poetry book. A Jane Birkin [bag] on wheels maybe.”
Eloise Gendry-Hearn from creative communications agency Digital Fairy says: “Lime has become a staple for Gen Zers living in London over the past year, it’s become a huge key to greater freedom for a cohort who don’t own cars … Lime bikes symbolize freedom that feels like an accessible luxury in a cost-of-living crisis.”
Maybe that explains the loyalty people have for bikes. But there are also more practical factors. “TfL transport is becoming increasingly expensive to use and air pollution on the tube is a real problem,” says Mills. “Also, many areas of London, particularly south London, are still not very well connected.”
Added to this is the sheer ubiquity of the Limes. “There are simply more of them than any other provider in London,” says Mills. Snell and Hartigan add: “They are like a tank or a city horse. Reliable, always there when you need one. A faithful steed ready for your chaotic existence.”
According to Mills, “This is partly due to a deal with a councilor in Hackney in early 2022 that meant this.” [Lime] became the e-bike partner for this area. Hackney is known for being a bit of a hotbed of hipster culture and when some of the people who lived in the area started using them it gave the bikes a touch of trend.”
Dr. David Giles, lecturer in media psychology at the University of Winchester and co-author of Parasocial Experiences, says Chalamet made a smart move in the digital age. “Authenticity – or at least feigned authenticity – is fundamental to digital culture,” he says. “When a movie star parks his Lime bike on the way to a premiere, he’s the closest thing to intimacy offered by today’s new-style celebrities.”
At a time when accessibility is preferred over more old-fashioned and elusive glamour, Lime as a chariot – a Gen Z sedan, so to speak – fits very well, even if the familiarity ends where the red carpet begins.
