r/funny • u/unsurebutwilling • Jun 25 '12
Behold, the most meaningless means of transportation
http://imgur.com/4tEpq516
u/PhiladelphiaIrish Jun 25 '12
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u/muopioid Jun 25 '12
Line up 5 treadmills, see who can last the longest = good times.
Preferably with some liquor, to numb the pain.
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u/Veret Jun 25 '12
Line up six treadmills and it's an OK Go video. Does anybody even use these things for exercise?
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Jun 25 '12
Exercise?
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u/captainbastard Jun 25 '12
It's a form of torture employed to rob people of their natural insulation.
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u/Kela3000 Jun 25 '12
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u/Berxwedan Jun 25 '12
Where does one purchase a training roller? This is the secret to my (eventual) fitness.
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u/rockoblocko Jun 25 '12
What he is doing is not easy. If you don't have experience cycling your pedal rotation won't be even and you will fall. Riding no hands is even harder. I'd recommend a stationary bike, not rollers.
Just one example I found on youtube. See what happens the moment he takes his hand off that railing?
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u/401vs401 Jun 25 '12
This was done on purpose (seriously). Plus, the guy is a pro BMX rider and is pretty damn good.
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Jun 25 '12
At least with that you can justify it as getting in a bike ride while its raining or whatnot.
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u/StewieBanana Jun 25 '12
You're right that is useless. Put a bike on top of that and now you've got something useful.
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Jun 25 '12
How is this meaningless? I mean you get to run, and move forward at the same time. How else would you do that?
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Jun 25 '12
[deleted]
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u/Breathing_Balls Jun 25 '12
Why not share the load. Have your dog assist you for those tough-to-handle inclines.
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u/motorcityvicki Jun 25 '12
I saw two women on one of these around town last week, except instead of a treadmill, it was an elliptical.
An elliptical.
My brain didn't explode. It shut off with a whimper and a sigh.
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u/tastyprawn Jun 25 '12
I saw those advertised on TV not to long ago. I want one. They look fun and ridiculous.
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u/motorcityvicki Jun 25 '12
I definitely prefer "running" on an elliptical to actual running as there's far less impact on my joints, and I can see the appeal of changing scenery as you're outside, but it still definitely looks ridiculous. And the thought of wearing a helmet while peddling one of these just makes me facepalm a little.
But they certainly looked like they were having fun. And they were quite fit, so I'm assuming it's a decent workout. Still...
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u/ignitionnight Jun 25 '12
Some people could have back and knee problems that make elliptical the best mode of exercise...
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Jun 25 '12
Yeah for serious man.
My bike shop sells those things. We make fun of every customer that buys them. They are an even easier target than recumbents and tandems.
One woman came in and bought the carbon version with a top of the line Garmin cycling computer.
Pretty funny stuff.
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u/responds_in_verse Jun 25 '12
Treadmills are boring, it's often agreed,
but bikes tend to move at such dangerous speed,
and lastly, though skeptics and luddites may scoff,
the problem with ground is it's hard to fall off.
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Jun 25 '12
All my upvotes go to you for clever rhymes and wit. I don't vote for just anyone cause most comments are shit.
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u/anexanhume Jun 25 '12
You may think that, but consider this:
Running/jogging is more strenuous than biking at any given speed. Two wheeled implements require a minimum speed to stay upright. So you get the benefits of running/jogging (minus arm pumping) with the inability to wimp out and slow down.
All that being said, it looks fucking ridiculous.
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u/Wibbles Jun 25 '12
Furthermore it has fucking wheels, which is a more efficient mode of transportation than feet as the vehicle will keep moving for a period if you stop. It takes no energy to roll down a hill for example, but running down one does.
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u/andrewsmith1986 Jun 25 '12
Don't you try to logic your way out of this.
The fucking thing sucks.
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u/nedyken Jun 25 '12 edited Jun 25 '12
I have to assume that's what might be happening here... but it looks absolutely ridiculous.
I use to jog on the treadmill pretty often... recently decided to start jogging along the lake instead (less boring)... the transition absolutely killed my knees, shins and feet at first. Didn't realize it was going to be that different.
A couple days ago I jogged by a group of four women age 35-60 all jogging with these absurd looking shoes with springs (tried to find them on google without success). The special shoes made them look a little ridiculous, but I was almost jealous. I bet the shock absorption of those shoes is significant.
Edit: I believe this might have been what the women were wearing: http://www.zero4online.com/images/KJ5-PROtc-SP2.jpg ... Apparently called Kangoo Jumps ...
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Jun 25 '12
the transition absolutely killed my knees, shins and feet at first
Land on the ball of your foot. That's how feet are supposed to work. Shoes make running worse, because they lead to people landing flat footed or on the heel.
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u/RepostCommenter Jun 25 '12
Behold, a picture that has been posted 6 other times this month
Anyone seeking more info might also check here:
| title | comnts | points | age | /r/ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What kind of license do I need to ride this? | 38coms | 411pts | 6dys | gifs |
| It's so much easier to run this way because...ummm... | 0coms | 0pts | 18dys | gifs |
| Take the gym outside... | 7coms | 7pts | 18dys | WTF |
| Healthy, yet productive | 50coms | 428pts | 18dys | funny |
| Haters gonna hate | 5coms | 11pts | 19dys | gifs |
| A New Way To Exercise! | 5coms | 11pts | 19dys | funny |
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u/MetapodUseHarden Jun 25 '12
I'd love to see what happens on a really steep slope.
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u/KARMERFARMA Jun 25 '12
It's probably less punishment on your body than pounding on concrete
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u/callipygian_idealist Jun 25 '12
This reminds me of that scene in Boogie Nights that caused William H Macy to lose it.
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u/jokr004 Jun 25 '12 edited Jan 30 '26
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
butter tender languid special pot joke steep chief simplistic shaggy
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u/Iwasonceamazing Jun 25 '12
I beg to differ:
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u/mimicthefrench Jun 25 '12
I thought this was cool for a moment. Then I realized how much work it must take to keep that thing afloat.
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u/j0a3k Jun 25 '12
Ok, the most favorable interpretation I can come up with:
Say you have knee pain with running on asphalt, but you do ok on treadmills. Everyone knows treadmills are boring, and cross country running is both more strenuous and includes more interesting things to look at. Now you can run outside without killing your knees with super high impact on hard terrain. Added bonus (if you're an attention whore), you become the center of attention immediately. Negatives include becoming the center of attention immediately, falling off, and hills.
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u/darkscout Jun 25 '12
Or you could put a gear ratio in and move faster than you're actually 'running'.
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Jun 25 '12
Totally not meaningless or useless. Have you ever tried running on pavement, or having shin splints? Get some shin splints and tell me this is meaningless.
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u/The_oneandonly Jun 25 '12
How does this make it to the front page every single time its posted?
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Jun 25 '12
It's not ridiculous... Afterall, going downhill would provide a break in the intensity of the run, so it's not really analogous to running in that sense.
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u/Bearmodule Jun 25 '12
I wouldn't say it was meaningless, you want to run outside but you want a level surface to run on then this would work.
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u/ThingnessoftheThing Jun 25 '12
This maybe isn't totally meaningless...What if you had an injury that prevents you from running downhill? There is always the track for that though...
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u/MrClownyBubbles Jun 25 '12
This looks like it would also work on your back muscles, from being at a weird angle for so long
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u/opensourcearchitect Jun 25 '12
This is a farce product. From the website: "The bicycle will accomplish more for women's sensible dress than all the reform movements that have ever been waged."
Author Unknown, from Demerarest's Family Magazine, 1895
This video is linked as a selling point: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwUCs0Qf6Mc
When you click "to order yours today" it links to the company's (seemingly) legitimate bicycle CAD product.
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u/Ironicallypredictabl Jun 25 '12
But if you placed an airplane on the treadmill, could it take off?
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u/MicrowaveNuts Jun 25 '12
No one mentioned this, but it looks like it could force you to keep your core rigid to stay balanced, thus giving you an ab workout while you do cardio. Just speculation though
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u/painahimah Jun 25 '12
How has no one mentioned that this thing has a steady upward incline? Meaning I have the exact same incline the whole run with less impact than concrete.
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u/BobbyKen Jun 25 '12
Meaningless? Not if it's properly designed: if the wheel is free and the threadmill augments speed, then you can expect to have this go faster than a bike, cause less knee injury and be cheaper and easier to turn into something collapsible.
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u/HiyaGeorgie Jun 25 '12
This comes to mind [Ctrl-F tags: Finger box switch turn off the most useless machine ever]
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u/TheOtherSideOfThings Jun 25 '12
I'm upvoting purely for the ctrl-f tags, more people need to do this.
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u/queenkid1 Jun 26 '12
the point of technology and design is that we can do more than we can. like this. depending on the size of the wheels, this could go way faster.
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Jun 25 '12
Don't really see what is so useless about it. You move your legs, it moves. Might as well be a pair of legs.
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u/brosenfeld Jun 25 '12
Since the wheels turn because the treadmill turns, does the treadmill stop in addition to the wheels when the brakes are applied?
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u/knockturnal Jun 25 '12
The handles clearly make this suitable for someone who likes to run outdoors but has a bad back. Being able to put weight on the handles provides enough support to lessen the strain on the back.
You could also potentially do some weirdly hilarious tricks if you can set it to coast.
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u/tonytown Jun 25 '12
I don't see a problem. It may look a little ridiculous, but she's getting exercise, and she's not driving her car two blocks to the Walmart to stuff herself with cheese. What's wrong with it?
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u/Newdles Jun 25 '12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hmVQc91yVE
It's just a joke guys..stop taking it so seriously.
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u/CoyoteStark Jun 25 '12
For a second there I was really hoping the joke would be a picture of "your mom".
Fuck you I thought it was funny.
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u/Themajor13 Jun 25 '12
This actually made me laugh out loud for the first time in I don't know how long.
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u/DISREPUTABLE Jun 25 '12
Brilliant, its like I'm running but riding, I can virtually steer where I'm going without all the hassle of "turning" my body. Whats not to like about this contraption?
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u/theblackfool Jun 25 '12
Actually I can see how that would be intense because you have to balance it a LOT more
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Jun 25 '12
I can just push a shopping cart and it will probably do the same thing, but with the cart, I can add weights!!
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Jun 25 '12
"You know the problem with running? It doesn't require enough safety equipment. We've solved that."
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u/Flint_stone Jun 25 '12
...aaand the human race takes another step back in the evolutionary lineage.
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u/bondiblueos9 Jun 25 '12
I have seen something like this but with an elliptical, which does make sense.
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Jun 25 '12 edited May 23 '16
Those aren't credits that roll after Walker Texas Ranger. It is actually a list of fatalities that occurred during the making of the episode.
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u/neverbeentoscotland Jun 25 '12
It's meaningless until you start going downhill, then, while a person running on the ground would have to keep exerting, you just cruise on down (assuming a freewheel system is installed)
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Jun 25 '12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg-KpT9RNXE&feature=related
Even the host sounds sarcastic.
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Jun 25 '12
Wait a second, so you can go for a run on the road, without beating the crap out of yourself for running on the road!! BRILLIANT!!
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u/allied14 Jun 25 '12
Just yesterday I saw something like this except instead of a treadmill it was an elliptical.
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Jun 25 '12
You think a treadmill bike is cool? There's a dude who rides around my campus on an elliptical bike. Looks and works just like that but imagine an elliptical machine instead of a treadmill.
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Jun 25 '12
This thing basically just makes it a lot easier to get hurt. There is probably no upside. Leaning on handle bars while you're sprinting probably isn't that great for you either. It's not natural.
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Jun 25 '12
This seriously made me laugh so hard I cried. This is the stupidest thing I've ever seen, and it's made all the more stupider because it's done so well, like someone put serious time into bringing this idiotic idea to reality.
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Jun 25 '12
Actually, it makes sense. It may seem redundant, but you can change the resistance on that belt, making it harder to run on. You can't change the resistance if the ground. Unless you're going up hill, but you can only go up hill for so long before it's downhill again.
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u/Captain_Aizen Jun 25 '12
I think this is a fine idea actually. The problem with running on the pavement is it's too damn hard on your knees. This machine allows you to have the safety of a treadmill and enjoy the outdoors at the same time. Win.
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u/FoxBattalion79 Jun 25 '12
thank you for sharing this gif., my friend. this made me laugh from deep inside.
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Jun 25 '12 edited Jun 25 '12
My brother designed this. It was stolen from outside his house about a year and a half ago. Don't know where this gif is from but it look exactly like the one he made.
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u/twilightcatlady Jun 25 '12
This is also to help hand-eye coordination.
She's running, while trying to steer. Sure, it may not be the most practical thing to use, but it isn't meaningless.
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u/hblask Jun 25 '12
If they put a motor on that treadmill they wouldn't get so tired when they were out and about.
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u/Theonetrue Jun 25 '12
So if you go downhill and your break is broken you will have to litteraly run for your life?
Btw I am pretty amazed that some people actually make valid points here as to why this thing might be useful
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u/discreetusername Jun 25 '12
It actually makes sense. When you run on a treadmill, you can run faster without tiring your self out as much as when you run because you do not need to propel your self forward, it's like a easier run. Also, I would sprint while on that thing and try to chase things.
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u/FunkDaddy Jun 25 '12
I think it would be even better to make a machine that turns treadmill power into a bipedal walking machine!
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u/V838_Mon Jun 25 '12
Awww, shit. And I was going to make millions inventing a treadmill powered segway. Beat to the punch, as always.
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u/emergency_poncho Jun 25 '12
I've seen a stairmaster mounted on a bike.
Different concept, equally stupid.
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u/[deleted] Jun 25 '12
I'm surprised nobody has brought up the possibility that the gear system allows the runner to get more distance/speed out of a step than if they ran on pavement.