Yes, I love to bicycle. With gas prices being what they are, I really need my bike as transportation. But sometimes I don't want to arrive at my destination panting and covered in sweat.
No, I'm not in terrible shape, but from late July to early September, we often have days where the heat reaches
110 degrees Farenheit. I don't want to destroy the exercise value of bicycling, but I also don't want to lose the transportation value of my bike on one of these extremely hot days.
What we need is a bike trail "ski lift." This would be similar to the moving hand rail of an escalator. It could be solar powered. The lift could be activated in several ways. Either you could ride up next to it, and push a button to start it. Or there could be a weight-sensing plate to ride over, or a motion sensor. Simply ride up beside the moving handrail, grab ahold, and let it pull you up the hill.
Playing around, I've had a friend walking beside my bike grab my hand and tow me along, and it didn't affect my steering and balance too badly. That's what gave me this idea, and is why I'm fairly sure this would work.
This idea would also let riders who were out of shape ride longer distances down the bike trails without getting too exhausted or discouraged - and someday, they'd be able to make it up these long hills without needing the ski lift!