So the problem is that I don't even know where to start... where to buy, where to experiment.
Say I want to hoist a 30 lb bicycle to hang on a 10 foot ceiling. The winch just needs to pull the rope (the pulleys are already installed).
For that, how to go about finding the smallest motor needed (that's also quiet, I love when motors are generally quiet and don't whine). DC Stepper motors seem like the right solution there.
I suspect with a smart pulley design you could get that down significantly as well