Trondheim installed the world's first bicycle lift in 1993, on the steep Brubakken hill connecting the Bakklandet neighbourhood to Kristiansten Fortress above. The hill has an 18% gradient over 130 metres, enough to make most cyclists give up and walk.
The original system, called Trampe, worked like a ski lift for one foot. Cyclists placed their right foot on a small plate that emerged from a slot in the road surface, and a chain mechanism pushed them uphill at about walking speed. It became a beloved local oddity and a minor tourist attraction, the kind of thing people would detour to try just to say they had done it.
The system was upgraded in 2013 to a new version called CycloCable, built by a French company. It works on the same principle but is smoother and handles more cyclists. The ride takes about 90 seconds and is free to use.
The lift exists because Trondheim is a university city with a large cycling population but also a hilly terrain that defeats many riders. Rather than accept that people would drive, the city built a machine to solve the problem. It remains the only permanent bicycle lift of its kind in the world.
The original system, called Trampe, worked like a ski lift for one foot. Cyclists placed their right foot on a small plate that emerged from a slot in the road surface, and a chain mechanism pushed them uphill at about walking speed. It became a beloved local oddity and a minor tourist attraction, the kind of thing people would detour to try just to say they had done it.
The system was upgraded in 2013 to a new version called CycloCable, built by a French company. It works on the same principle but is smoother and handles more cyclists. The ride takes about 90 seconds and is free to use.
The lift exists because Trondheim is a university city with a large cycling population but also a hilly terrain that defeats many riders. Rather than accept that people would drive, the city built a machine to solve the problem. It remains the only permanent bicycle lift of its kind in the world.
