Trampe Bicycle Lift

The world's only public bicycle lift, hauling riders up Brubakken hill

A small footplate runs up the cobbled slope of Brubakken behind the Old Town Bridge, towing cyclists up the 130-metre hill while they stay seated on their bikes. It is the only public bicycle lift in the world, installed in 1993 and rebuilt as the CycloCable in 2013. Locals use it every day; visitors mostly come to watch — or, if they have a bike, to try it.

To use the lift you press the start button, place your right foot on the footplate, and let it push you up at about 2 m/s. It is free, runs in summer only, and accepts only one rider at a time. The bottom station is right behind the Old Town Bridge.

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A story
An NTNU engineer named Jarle Wanvik built the lift in 1993 to encourage students to cycle to campus despite the steep climb. The original mechanism was so unusual that two people from Trondheim flew to Japan to demonstrate it for engineers there; the only other lift ever built using the design was decommissioned years ago, leaving the Trampe alone in the world.

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