The Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group, a leader in the chairlift industry, introduced an eight-bike gondola cab solution that may facilitate the most efficient bike loading than we've seen so far for lift-accessed bike parks. A bike cabin and a passenger cabin together can fit ten people and eight bikes, making the design appealing to resorts that also offer lift-accessed hiking and sightseeing.
From Doppelmayr:
The Bike Cab is the new solution for the simple, secure and comfortable transport of bicycles. Eight bikes can be carried simultaneously with just one Bike Cab. Loading and unloading is performed by the riders themselves, who attach their bikes to the bike holders in the bottom station and then board the next cabin. The bikes are carried safely up the mountain and in the top station guests have plenty of time to retrieve their bikes – then it’s off to the downhill thrills.
Suitable for bikes with the following specifications:
- Weight up to 25 kg
- Wheel size between 24” and 29”
- Tire width up to 12 cm
- Marsh Guard possible
Benefits:
- Carriage of up to eight bikes
- High transport capacity: speeds of up to 7 m/s possible
- Top comfort for riders
- Long service life
- Innovative
Bike rack VARIA
This bike rack, which was specially designed by CWA, fits in all “VARIA” ski holders. It is inserted into the ski rack from above and secured at the bottom. The bike rack is CE certified and can support a suspended load of up to 20 kg. It weighs 12 kg and is supplied in aluminum as standard. Custom paint finishes are available on request.
Benefits:
- Not necessary to remove ski rack
- No storage of ski rack required
Bike holder:
This bike holder enables the safe transport of bicycles outside the cabin. With an added weight of approx. 9 kg, it is both lightweight and sturdy. This option is intended for cabins without VARIA ski racks.
Benefits:
- Can be used without ski rack
- Not dependent on cabin model (OMEGA IV series not a must)
- Simple assembly
- Maintenance-free
Biker (1) would be the first in the cab but likely the last out when on the top of the mountain....unless they launch themselves over the other 7 people to get out first, it would seem they would miss their bike rotating past spot 1. If you cannot get to your spot on time, on the first rotation, do you have to wait for your bike to travel all the way down and back up again to get it?
Anyone who has ever been to Whistler and and seen some riders with with rentals and such putting there bikes on the lift will now that this would never work for the majority of time.
I agree lifties would help but that's not what is shown in the vid.
Jokes aside, I think that its ment to have a employe put the bikes off the gondola.
There must be a service person there to even prevent people without bike from entering the rack thinking it is some kind of ride attraction
Or they think it's for their dogs.
This could just be a concept (likely) which could mean zero real world testing. And that's ok, because that's what concepts are for. But it doesn't mean that this is a good idea....yet.
For everyone complaining about lift lines, just practice loading your bike at the provided spots at your resort before you mess it up and the lift operator has to slow it down or stop it for you. It's a procedure all lift operators have to follow or the resort can be shut down by the ITA or heavily fined.
Trust me we hate slowing down the lift as much as you! Practice before you get there and the line will move faster!
Most likely, this is why no company has attempted this before. It's not like attaching 8 bikes in a circle is some sort of incredible insight.
BUT - it's fairly simple to separate tasks so that each step has more time and doesn't hold up the line for a single mistake. For example, instead of having users load bikes directly to the rack you could add a gripper to all 8 stations that holds the bike carrier toward the rider before the gondola arrives, and then places it to the gondola as it passes by. Same trick on the unloading side. Then all 8 riders get the full gondola time to get their bike into or out of the contraption instead of having to do it in an 8th of that time.
Now, is this loading device super easy to design to never drop a bike or crush a human? Nope. But it's not exactly hard either. Just making the bike mount hardware removable from the gondola gets you 80% there.
Doppelmayer, good call but bike manufactures have already found a solution : e-bikes ! Ahah
(man I miss Whistler..)
& that before they've hit the trails
It takes about 6-8 minutes to get to the top of the mountain via a detachable high speed lift, and they have already invested in a hybrid lift (gondola cabins and chairs). Or 18-20 minutes via a fixed grip slow lift.
So you're completely wrong.
the customer has to yell about this, otherwise no one will upgrade. Make your voice heard people. This means everything from writing emails to complaining vocally every single time you get to the lift and there's a ridiculous line. shit rolls uphill in customer service. Give the lifties an ear full. then they tell their boss, and so on.
By all means send customer service as many Karen emails as you can.
Boycott Vail (whistler/Blackcomb) I recommend stuff in the USA.