Being a lift company, we’re always on the lookout for interesting lift designs and stories. So, of course, we were intrigued by a story we saw recently about a bicyclist lift in Norway.
Now, we all know that riding a bike is an enjoyable way to get around, and is a really economical mode of transportation. However, there’s no denying that riding a bike uphill is pretty much torture. That’s why the city of Trondheim in Norway has a “bicyclist lift” that allows bicyclists to move their bikes up inclines without any leg work required! As a lift company we think it’s such an innovative feature to have as part of your city and we were shocked to find out that despite it being in operation since 1994, it’s the only lift of its kind in the world!
The original design was refurbished and rebranded as CycloCable in 2014 and has continued to make the lives of bicyclists easier ever since. The lift is over 426 feet long and moves at a top speed of 3 miles an hour. To move up the lift you have to keep one leg on the bike and extend the other whilst the lift pushes you up the hill. How ingenious!
It works in kind of the same way as a ski lift and the multiple foot plays allow for more than one rider at the same time. The plates are spaced apart so if someone falls off there are no accidents. There’s also an emergency stop button in case of any mishaps built according to the company that built it, there have been no accidents so far; since 1994.
As a lift company, we love finding out about innovative lift installations like this; especially one’s that make our life easier!