Without a doubt, Doppelmayr’s Bike Cab offers the most elegant way to transport bicycles using a gondola lift. At the valley station, bikers independently load their bicycles into the rotating rack located in the center of the Bike Cab before boarding the following passenger cabin.

At the top station, guests have plenty of time to easily unload their bikes. Lift operators benefit as well: passenger cabins remain protected from dirt and damage, significantly extending their service life.

Furthermore, carrying up to eight bicycles per vehicle, Bike Cabs offer high transport capacity – especially when combined with the high travel speeds of modern Doppelmayr ropeways of up to seven meters per second.

Bike Cabs rotate in the stations

Thanks to the automatic rotation of the central rack, eight bikes can be loaded sequentially. Floor markings in the station show guests exactly where to stand to load their bikes as quickly as possible. As the Bike Cab leaves the valley station, the rack rotates so that the first bike loaded is also the first one ready to be unloaded at the top.

Every rider knows right from the start where to retrieve their gear. At the top station, this rotation – combined with the Bike Cab remaining stationary for several seconds – gives guests more than enough time to retrieve their bikes.

The Loischkopfbahn as a Bike Cab Lift

Recognizing these benefits, Bergbahnen Brandnertal (Austria) recently chose to integrate 20 Bike Cabs into their new 10-passenger Loischkopf gondola. Bikepark Brandnertal – a success story since August 2014 – has established itself over the past decade as a key fixture in the downhill mountain biking scene.

While the converted Einhornbahn II and former Loischkopfbahn chairlifts previously transported guests and their bikes during the summer, they were slow. Long wait times due to limited capacity prompted the resort to take action.

Year-round Bike Cabs?

As a result, the new 10-passenger Loischkopf gondola replaced two fixed-grip chairlifts as well as the Tschengla T-bar lift, providing a modern, comfortable, and safe solution for transporting bikes via gondola.

“During planning, we placed great emphasis on ensuring the lift works exceptionally well for mountain bikers so we can build a consistent, year-round tourism model,“ says Michael Marte, Managing Director of Bikepark Brandnertal.

Resort Director Michael Domig adds: “We looked closely at tourism trends and future developments. We believe it is entirely feasible for guests to ski in the upper part of the destination while others ride bikes lower down.“

Flagship Project in Colorado

D-Line, DirectDrive, and Bike Cabs – a flagship project for Doppelmayr went into operation in Idaho Springs, Colorado (USA) this year. According to founder Mary Jane Loevlie, the 10-passenger Mighty Argo Cable Car gondola has transformed the former gold mining town into a major tourist attraction since spring 2026.

From the “Argo Station“ mine museum, a 10-minute ride covers roughly 1.4 kilometers and 400 vertical meters up to “Miners Point.“ At the top, visitors are treated to views of historic mining facilities, Clear Creek Valley, and surrounding peaks including Mount Blue Sky and other 14ers (mountains over 4,000 meters).

A panoramic restaurant, playground, and amphitheater host events, entertainment, art, and dining. Furthermore, “Miners Point“ serves as the starting point for nature and history trails, as well as over 45 kilometers of hiking and biking trails.

First Bike Cabs in the USA

This milestone marks the debut of Bike Cabs in the United States, with 5 of the 22 golden cabins designed specifically as Bike Cabs.“Idaho Springs already sees up to 1,000 cyclists per day at times. With the cable car, those numbers will increase dramatically – year-round, since snow doesn‘t stick around here,“ says Mary Jane Loevlie.

Instagram videos from the soft launch on April 24 confirm that the transport cabins are a huge hit with riders, a trend that was mirrored during the grand opening on May 9.

Bike Cabs Expand to Montana (USA)

The Bike Cab strategy is paying off across the US: On June 16, another system featuring 19 Bike Cabs began operation – the Explorer Gondola in Big Sky, Montana. Operating across two sections since the 2025/26 winter season, the new gondola replaced the former Explorer double chairlift.