14 DAY TRIAL // A creative designer with a passion for bikes has created an innovative pedal-powered elevator to reach his 30ft (9m) high tree house.
Tired of having to climb up a ladder to be able to enjoy the view from the tree house, Ethan Schlussler from Sanpoint, Idaho, built a bike elevator.
He created the ingenious climbing system using ropes, pulleys and counterweights and an elaborate plan. The result of his work is really impressive, and the 23-year-old is now able to cycle up to his hideaway, which is also his creation. He just has to pedal.
And when he wants to get down, he simply mounts the bike and gravity does all the rest.
“I knew I wanted to build something better than a ladder, and I was talking with a friend about various ideas for a human-powered elevator when he suggested using a bicycle,” the young man said, according to Metro.
“It took about a week to build but I had to build most of the tree house first, which took a couple of months.”
After uploading a video of him using the bike elevator on YouTube, Ethan has had to answer a lot of questions about his creation. And one of the viewers asked him the safety of the entire system. His answer was: “Of course, it’s not ‘safe,’ but neither is walking across the street. That said, almost every part of the system is many times stronger than necessary, and there is no single part that would make it free-fall if it broke.”
