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    Trondheim’s Trampe Bicycle Lift. Assistance for cyclists climbing one of Norway’s steep hills



    More about cycling in Trondheim: http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/search/label/trondheim

    More information about Trampe: http://trampe.no/

    A few days ago I was lucky enough to be in Trondheim, Norway for a few days and I was shown around by the local council officials.

    Of course this lift isn’t cycling infrastructure for every hill or even every town. However, the bicycle lift is a great way of demonstrating that _cyclists_matter_. It really does work very well both for pushing cyclists up hill and for marketing the city – this is now the number two tourist attraction in Trondheim.

    It takes a little practice. On my first run up the hill I was letting the puck which pushes your right foot get away from me, and this wasn’t assisted by my lack of familiarity with the bike share system hire bikes (they go well but long handlebars, small front wheel and solid tyres combine to make handling feel a bit strange).

    The lift could also perhaps be criticised on the grounds of not being inclusive. I’m also not sure that it would be easy for older people to use or people with some disabilities.

    Cycling Infrastructure Study Tours: http://hembrow.eu/studytour

    http://www.dutchbikebits.com
    http://www.hembrowcyclingholidays.com
    http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com

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    View 46 Comments

    46 Comments

    7. Miles Sanford on

      That is a hill? Try cycling in San Francisco and you'll learn about real hill cycling. And we don't have any elevators to help you up the slope. It's cool but I think it could have more of a use on a steeper incline.

    9. zenapsgas on

      This hill is way steeper than it looks. However, if your bike has low gears, it is actually easier to bike all the way up rather than using the lift. The lift is overrated since it is physically demanding to use. A tiny metall is pushing up you and your bike. This creates a lot of pressure in your foot – painful.

      Although the idea is cool, it is way easier to invest in a bike with low gears and just bike all the way up yourself.

    10. nawr_whalz on

      That whole contraption for that one single purpose. I'm not sure if it was really that great of an investment or use of city resources…

    15. Georgie Ippolito on

      im still waiting for someone to ride a office chair up it. that can go between the wheels and push you all the way up without holding on. just relax and spin to the top lol

    20. LordStraightBanana on

      What a great idea.
      To put this in the UK would require a Private Finance Initiative, and a focus group to determine if anyone would use it, and, most importantly a feasibility study to see how much profit it could make.
      Then it would be built 15 years later for 5 times the estimated cost, and would charge a tenner per ride, unless it was a weekday and off-peak, or you had kids and a super duper saver ticket or a season ticket. Then, when no-one uses it because the pricing is too high and confusing, they’d blame its failure on the public for not getting out of their cars.
      The cynicism is strong in this one

    24. Traugott Müller on

      I tried using this, but failed miserably. Even though a nice local guy tried explaining to me how to use it properly.
      Ah well, it's much more fun to go DOWN the hill anyway (just make sure to check your brakes beforehand, and make sure you know which handle is for the brakes on the rear wheel!)

    28. cchong channel on

      Wow…..what a fantastic tool and facility you have there, thank God for the great innovations and facilities. It would be so wonderful if things like this could be installed and implemented in many other countries as well for the encouragement of more bicycles use (environmental friendly) which is a great commute option.

    37. jesot on

      Looks like it's faster and safer to just get off the bike and walk it up the hill. It's definitely a problem that needs solutions devised, though.

    43. Dj Fisher on

      Looks kind of difficult to use. It would probably be better if there was someway to hook it to your bike and push you up or pull you up.

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