Bicycle Lift in Trondheim, Norway

This bicycle lift is used by cyclers to get up a steep hill.

[@Bonnis1]

In 1993 (when this was built) it was quite awesome. At this time bicycles didn't have many gears, often just three, therefore it of course was hard to cycle up that hill, and this invention was therefore very nice

[@lvsitiwdr]

Norway encourages really much the use of bike, which is a very positive thing. Where i live they are trying to encourage the use of bike, yet here in Lisbon, Portugal, there are few places to ride a bike safely. Its even dangerous to ride a bike on city roads and i know people who had bike accidents because there is crazy fast drivers everywhere and i dont even risk, i only ride the bike on the countryside. Way to go Norway - good job.

[@djrichardgrant]

This is amazing. I cant believe it was made in 1993 and Ive not heard about it anywhere else. As far as the argument from the two of you below, its very comical. The "banter" between you makes me laugh, cant believe you offered a cookie to him if he can cycle up that! hahaha Ive made loads of mountain bike videos with my friends in the mountains in Scotland, and its soooo true that on the screen the steepness of the hill appears to be less. continued above

[@Norwayflex89]

lol I used to live in that green house xD when I was like 0-4 years old.

[@Boscovius]

I think that is very cool. I used to live on an Island in the United States where auto's are not permitted. I found it to be a very nice lifestyle. there were plenty of horse drawn carriages for transportation, as well as bicycles. My wife and I are thinking about moving to Norway, but we don't know anyone there to sponsor us.

[@Hannamikaleao]

The one in Trondheim now is completely safe. As soon as pressure isn't applied to the "plate" it disappears. My sister can do it, she's elleven. Its extremely easy.

[@palinuri]

I think this system would be incredibly useful for commuters... and would help stimulate those who _ARE_ lazy or who would prefer not to exert themselves too hard while wearing a suit to cycle to work rather than take the car. Some times its the small things that make a difference.

[@whitetiger7462]

I was there and saw this being used!! GREAT! Love Trondheim

[@magdaemily]

Thanks for posting this movie. I've heard about thissbefore, but I couldn't imagine how this lift really looks like. I'm going to visit Trondheim soon, but unfortunately I won't take my bicycle with me. Greetings.

[@Frostbite155]

Guys, just fyi quickly, this bicycle lift is not commonly found in Norway at all, this being the only one ever made or among a REALLY small number. It is intended more to be a "tourist attraction" kind of thing, or a mark or something special like that for the locals and stuff...

[@wheelgood]

This is a fine idea. Read the sign, it says the goal is to get more people on bikes. If one had bad knees, or whatever, but could ride the other areas, this is great!!!

[@scholion]

Funny. Before watching this clip I only knew of two Norwegian inventions, namely the paperclip and the cheese slizer :-D Greetings to Norway from Gothenburg, Sweden

[@lvsitiwdr]

How can someone say such a thing? Norwegians are not lazy, they are among the most active people i've seen, they use very much the bike, they walk and hike through mountains, they go ski and they practise a lot of sports and that is very encouraged in Norway and a part of their culture. In my trekkings through norwegian mountains ive seen many people walking miles and miles of all ages even older people. I wish my country had the same encouragement to physical activity-unfortunatelly it doesnt.

[@Stropo13]

Dude that is so tight...if it weren't so congested in the US we would so have to do that:)

[@Stefanoitch]

I am very happy that we norwegians have the patent for this!! One day it will make us very very very rich

[@loonabella]

BRILLIANT!!!! This is JUST what we need in San Francisco, Ca!! haha :)

[@SubUrbanNinja-EDC]

This is how society should be. The grass is truly greener in Norway.

[@ruwenzoricadena3665]

Je viens d´apprendre tout cela, je crois que je n´aurais pas pu imaginer une idée comme cela et je ne savais pas que cela existait. Je le trouve absolument génial! Toutes les villes qui ont des rues en pente devraient installer ces remonte-pente. Je l´appellerais le funi-vélo.

[@PigreKo]

It is a surplus, but sure it encourages the use of a bike, knowing you can reach most of the city without sweating or wearing yourself. After all this is the difference between using a bike as an hobby or for sport, instead to actually use it to move around the city. The grass is truly greener in Norway.

[@maty1]

Hi, this awesome invention is being shown in facebook these days, the internet is amazing.

[@jannemarie]

There's one single bicycle lift in the city, up this rather steep hill. But it's mainly just for entertainment - a tourist attraction if you will. Locals don't really use it.

[@Heimdall01]

@TheJMdubb : This was a student project in 1992-1993 at the tech university in Trondheim. Just to see if it would work. Not much tax money were used. For practical purposes its way to short, but it's a nice implementation. For Trondheim insiders: It would have been better to have a longer one in..say Steinberget on Byåsen.

[@ElvisCamillo]

Yeah, it can be. Here we don't often use bicycles for going to the malls or stuff. We use it for fun, in the most of the cases.

[@hanilatif]

Excellent. Just proves that some politicians think with their brains and not with their pockets or political aspirations. Perhaps one day somebody can instal such a device in Tomares, Spain...!

[@Multibjarne]

It is located in Bakklandet, on the hill towards the keep (Festningen, fant ikke et bedre ord for det!). I am passing through Bakklandet once or twice a week or so, but I've never seen it been used before :P

[@KyleLC]

Young people use it, too. It's a long steep hill, so most casual riders not riding for exercise, and even some who are, will want to use it.

[@TinyyChan]

this invention kept me quiet for a second if I was there I'd probably walk I think its way faster for me I wouldn't take a risk to fall off the track lol

[@mueni82]

That hill is huge and very steep, you'll understand if you ever go to Trondheim!

[@babayga94]

If you give all you got up that hill, you are faster than those who take the lift XD

[@Heimdall01]

LOL! Its just a small scale test version. Happy to hear that you bike to work every day though...

[@bobofgloucester]

In contrast to Boston, Toronto relies much more on bicycles for commuting. On a recent trip there I noticed there were many more bikes parked and locked at night than cars. People walked their bikes a lot - across the street, down a one way street, and through certain parks. THEY USE HAND SIGNALS! The trolley, the bike, the pedestrian and the car work together and not against each other. Boston has a ways to go.

[@Nidvard]

@Mauko24 it's steeper than it looks, and it's very nice to have after a long day at work, and we probably have to use it 3-4 times a day... but don't u worry, the hill doesn't stop there. what you see is just the steepest part

[@alpzepta]

This is like a Trollybike you don’t need a battery powered bike to go up hill without paddle

[@Nearlyprescient]

but, those aren't the only reasons. if you're a commuter who bikes to work, the less energy you expend en route, the more you have for work. now, I'm sure people don't exactly think that way, but when faced with having to leave for work earlier to take a longer route or trek uphill and potentially showing up sweaty, the lift is good. no one's making anyone use it, and it's pretty unobtrusive so people exercising can ride up the hill just as easily =) it's also the first one, can't start too big.

[@Johannesvogell]

We are all here, thank you KZbin

[@mrtholland2]

Only a matter of time until someone has a wobble and consequently gets dragged up

[@Mindraker1]

Yeah but this isn't lawsuit-happy USA.

[@dekfungton]

Awesome video! I've never seen anything like this before...not even here in California...

[@saberwingNetwork]

@degnaw nope not a lot. There are no mountains in the entire country, but there are a few hills.

[@thewidesight]

It is not the man, who makes the mountain. It is the mountain, who makes the man!!!!

[@Boscovius]

Absolutely Yes! I lived on the Island for 3 summers and then the next summer I stayed on for the winter and worked on the big Grand Hotel construction project. I worked a lot of different jobs there. I made the souvenier horseshoes at the Village Blacksmith Shop across from the Haunted Theatre. I can still hear the organ music. LOL. Do you know the island well?

[@lancevegas]

Wahaha! Jeg syklet opp den bakken nesten hver dag på vei til jobben i fjor sommer :)

[@Nnirvania]

aaah i was there last weekend, how could i miss this! haha

[@streetlampsatsix]

i still can't see the detailed mechanism of how it works, but it looks pretty cool. oh, if only providence, rhode island (USA) had one of those (we have steep hills too).

[@Oleerkilass]

In Oslo perhaps, but on the other part of Norway it is on you!

[@rawerftw]

Hah, i live right next to this, really embarrasing at holiday times when your nearby with a bike, and tons of tourists cheer you on to take the lift =P

[@saberwingNetwork]

lol awesome! we don't even have that in the netherlands which is (i think) THE bicycle country.

[@jannemarie]

Ja! Hvis du går med Trondheim sentrum "i ryggen" så å si, og over Bybroa - da kommer du til Bakklandet. Veldig fint der! Mange snedige små butikker også, spesielt inn i veitene som går til venstre derfra. Nedre Bakklandet heter det området. Og hvis du ser rett fram når du kommer over Bybroa den veien, vil du se en nokså bratt bakke. Der finner du Trampe. :)

[@TaylorSwift1337]

Haha, i have done this like 10 000 times ,i used to stand with only my feet on it. when i was probarly 10-13 years old. im 16 now :) This is on Bakklandet in trondheim , (norway)

[@ElvisCamillo]

Neither do I, but you came saying things that no one would appreciate. Another person down there (in the commentaries page) had a peaceful discuss with me about my point and we had an agreement. Well, I meant to say that you should enjoy your blonds, because if you don't know, people from another countries enjoy blonds, because they don't usually see them on the streets. It's like here, we sort of prefer blond then brunets. But I see your point, makes sense.

[@Thrusthamster]

I don't know, could be. If people fall down and hurt themselves, they probably just stand up and walk the rest of the way, there isn't a whole lot of sueing because of people getting hurt here in Norway.

[@Thrusthamster]

I think I know what you're talking about. That would be a problem, yeah, but we don't have much of those here in Norway. :-)

[@tanketom]

Well, it has been there, unharmed I might add, since 1993. Nothing yet, at least!

[@sararmsheets]

Walked up that hill yesterday. It's so hard!!

[@XXSomeDudeXX]

Okay, I never want to hear another European call us Americans lazy again. We ride our bikes up our hills.

[@rhondaleduc8440]

This is fantastic!

[@goofyjenta]

whaaat the??! I live in Trondheim, Norway and i have never seen something like that before!

[@kznck]

Wow, that's great. We don't even have bike roads and stuff. :/

[@m9078jk3]

How about this A simple bicycle funicular just as an example can be made with a rope with hooks or clamps on the ends and a pulley mounted at the top of the steep hill. Basically a cyclist going down a steep hill would pull one clamped end of the rope round a pulley and a cyclist with the other end of the rope clamped on his/her bicycle would be pulled up the steep hill. The ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other with very high energy efficiency.This essentially flattens hills though in this example (and it is just an example only) it requires two cyclists one at the top of the hill desiring to go downhill and one at the bottom desiring to go uphill.

[@TheChipmunk2008]

+m9078jk3 For heavily trafficked areas, that would actually work VERY well. For touristy type areas. For areas where bikes are used for commuting, the traffic would be mostly one way... but it definitely has promise!

[@Nidvard]

@UncagedDreamer that climb is steeper than it looks, and when you have to travel that distance 3-4 times a day, you would be happy it is there. Or do you say that when entering a 30 floor building too...can always use stairs, but why?

[@gohan9080]

så takker vi til deg...

[@Sopphopper]

Of course it is possible to pedal up the hill, but it really is much steeper than it looks on the video.

[@SamuP18]

Gotta love Norway!

[@davideekstok9801]

This looks like something Tom Scott would make a video about

[@PepperPriby]

wuhu im coming! norway is a beautyful country

[@KyleLC]

You're welcome. Have a nice trip!

[@wizimaster]

lol, jeg tror jeg hadde følt meg litt "teit" hvis brukte en heis til å komme opp en bakke på gata:P Kul og delvis nyttig innretning, men jeg hadde nok syklet opp den bakken, eller i værste fall gått-m/syklen xD

[@mjnesbitt]

That is SO COOL! It should be Solar Powered though - less riders in bad weather, intermittent use - perfect for Solar.

[@ignaciotovarp]

Perico, Perico tu bicicleta vuela, Perico, Perico por valles y montañas, Perico Perico tu eres el mejor, Perico, Perico, Perico selección!

[@ockayax]

What a nice idea bring it to Peru

[@mar754]

12 years ago... wow this video is old

[@krakowia88]

You are 100% correct.

[@ejsmith10]

That would never work in the US. The lawyers would milk it to death in minutes from bogus liability suits.

[@jayeshsoniIAS]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[@krisal007]

Hello?? it's like the only one in Norway, and we do actually bike insted of driving cars all over!

[@smellyhuman]

well it is there to get people on their bicycles, but i am 100% agree with you, thats not a big hill...

[@Nidvard]

@SupositoryRepository sure you do, but you have to stop for a burger-break every 10 meters of it :)

[@djrichardgrant]

However, as that hill has a tarmac (good Scottish invention by the way!) surface and therefore is very grippy, I reckon that I could cycle up it. Just for the record, seeing as you're both talking about English use, it may be of interest to learn that the word blond, in English, is one of the very rare words where we change it depending in sex. As you're referring to girls with blond hair, you would say "Go get some blonde chicks".

[@Nidvard]

@ave2timeslip actually the hill is about 20% :)

[@KyleLC]

Cool! Have a nice trip!

[@masterboy81]

Sykkel-heis, for en genial oppfinnelse. Kan nesten måle seg med da kruttet ble oppfunnet ;o)

[@kwekker]

waiting for the Tom Scott video

[@ChrisInToon]

How easy to use is this for the average person? I have used ski drag/poma lifts and at first they are tricky for some people especially snowboarders but I guess this is pretty straighforward.

I think you'll find the death rate is the same everywhere 100%.

[@charliewecker]

@tannalv Haha Oh sorry I meant to reply to lassi5600's comment "In Norway we don't call this steep, we call it flat"

[@zibitboo]

@beimezger It hasn't been working since july 2010. It needs some updates before it can make people more lacy once again :)

[@Gullfisken89]

He sure got pwned.

[@DrivebotMusic]

at the end it looked like the guy might fall. how safe are these things, could someones leg get caught?

[@ItsJustAGirl]

I love Norway

[@Thrusthamster]

Notice that there isn't a minus sign.

[@Jaktmeister]

Well its even hard walking up that road.. its prb about 45 degrees or more..

[@ElvisCamillo]

If you are riding a bike, you obviously are exercising then you should climb the hill riding the bicycle. It's like going to the gym and have a machine there lifting the weights for you.

[@XXSomeDudeXX]

@hobbiz You don't pedal your bikes up hills, I know that much. I also know there is really nice granite stone that comes from a quarry in Jessheim. Norway, the land of granite quarries, mined by workers who are fat because they don't pedal their bicycles. When is lutefisk break?

[@djsindtps]

this is great!

[@bobofgloucester]

Last year the Mayor announced "the car is no longer king in Boston." He had a bike rental system installed, bike lanes displaced parking spaces, media blitz. Since then 6 bicyclists were killed and BOSTON RANKS 4TH BIKE FRIENDLY, I use public transportation dispite problems. I wish I had a better incentive to ride my bike BUT I feel the opposite of enslaved driving my car, If Boston is 4th friendliest bike city I wonder how deadly it is to ride a bike in cities 5th, 6th, 7th friendliest.

[@mrp92a]

Is sicko a documentary about you? I'll be sure to check it out

[@KyleLC]

Yes, but it'd take much more time to get up the hill.

[@DaithiDublin]

Couldn't we adapt this technology somehow to help drunk people get upstairs to bed?

[@georgehenry9028]

PERO QUE ES ESTO POR DIOS ESTO UNA EXCELENTE CREACION ...... PARA LOS MAS PEREZOSOS. POR ESO LOS COLOMBIAOS SOMOS BUENOS TREPADORES.... POR QUE NO SOMOS PEREZOSOS

[@AdrianDX]

Haha, its been there since sep. 93' but I've never seen it in action or tested it myself xD Ive seen the rails though =P NOR Haha, Vært der siden sept. 1993 men jeg har aldri sett den i aksjon eller testa den selv xD Sett skinna da =P

[@stengevarsel]

Uhm.. I live 5 minutes from that lift, and it's a LOT steeper than the camera shows you.