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zBrown
Ice climber
chingadero de chula vista
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Oct 27, 2012 - 05:17pm PT
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You can do just about anything on those puppies. Hormones will be a flowing. I am not sure what the impact of having a 361% increase in HGH will do for/to you.
If Lance was smart, he'd come clean, apologize, get his sentence commuted and recruit a bunch vibrator riding studs, and then take back France for America.
Even dance on 'em, if you have a pardner
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Oct 27, 2012 - 05:38pm PT
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Graniteclimber, Kimmage made a very direct question and LA shot him down, wrongly. If you cannot see through your haze of love for LA, then I feel sorry for you. LA is a bully. Period. Full stop.
Take off the rose-tinted glasses, step outside and smell the air.
BTW Graniteclimber, this is not an attack on you personally, as I am not into flaming anybody. But I suppose I see that Kimmage/Armstrong interaction differently than you do.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Oct 27, 2012 - 06:16pm PT
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From now on, to have a level playing field in professional racing, this bike should be the only one used
From The Irish Times
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/1015/breaking20.html
Cardboard bicycle 'could change world'
Israeli inventor and cycling enthusiast Izhar Gafni with a bicycle, made almost entirely of cardboard, which he believes has the potential to change transportation habits across the world. Photograph: Baz Ratner/Reuters
A bicycle made almost entirely of cardboard has the potential to change transportation habits from the world's most congested cities to the poorest reaches of Africa, its Israeli inventor says.
Izhar Gafni (50), is an expert in designing automated mass-production lines. He is an amateur cycling enthusiast who for years toyed with an idea of making a bicycle from cardboard.
He said during a recent demonstration that after much trial and error, his latest prototype had proven itself and mass production will begin in a few months. The bike is expected to retail at about $20 (€15.43).
"I was always fascinated by applying unconventional technologies to materials and I did this on several occasions. But this was the culmination of a few things that came together. I worked for four years to cancel out the corrugated cardboard's weak structural points," Mr Gafni said.
"Making a cardboard box is easy and it can be very strong and durable, but to make a bicycle was extremely difficult and I had to find the right way to fold the cardboard in several different directions. It took a year and a half, with lots of testing and failure until I got it right," he said.
Cardboard has rarely been considered as raw material for products usually made of much stronger materials, such as metal.
Once the shape has been formed and cut, the cardboard is treated with a secret concoction of organic materials to give it its waterproof and fireproof qualities. In the final stage, it is coated with lacquer paint for appearance.
In testing the durability of the treated cardboard, Mr Gafni said he immersed a cross-section in a water tank for several months and it retained all its hardened characteristics.
Once ready for production, the bicycle will include no metal parts - even the brake mechanism and the wheel and pedal bearings will be made of recycled substances, although Mr Gafni said he could not yet reveal those details due to pending patent issues.
"I'm repeatedly surprised at just how strong this material is, it is amazing. Once we are ready to go to production, the bike will have no metal parts at all," Mr Gafni said.
The inventor's workshop, a ramshackle garden shed, is crammed with tools and bicycle parts and cardboard is strewn everywhere.
One of his first models was a pushbike he made as a toy for his young daughter, which she is still using months later.
Mr Gafni owns several top-of-the-range bicycles which he said are worth thousands of dollars each, but when his own creation reaches mass production, it should cost no more than about $20 to buy.
The cost of materials used are estimated at $9 per unit.
"When we started, a year and a half or two years ago, people laughed at us, but now we are getting at least a dozen emails every day asking where they can buy such a bicycle - so this really makes me hopeful that we will succeed," he said.
A ride of the prototype was quite stiff, but generally no different to other ordinary basic bikes.
Nimrod Elmish, Mr Gafni's business partner, said cardboard and other recycled materials could bring a major change in current production norms because grants and rebates would only be given for local production and there would be no financial benefits by making bicycles in cheap labour markets.
"This is a real game-changer. It changes ... the way products are manufactured and shipped, it causes factories to be built everywhere instead of moving production to cheaper labour markets, everything that we have known in the production world can change," he said.
Mr Elmish said the cardboard bikes would be made on largely automated production lines and would be supplemented by a workforce comprising pensioners and the disabled.
He said that apart from the social benefits this would provide for all concerned, it would also garner government grants for the manufacturers.
Mr Elmish said the business model they had created meant that rebates for using "green" materials would entirely cancel out production costs and this could allow for bicycles to be given away for free in poor countries.
Producers would reap financial rewards from advertisements such as from multinational companies who would pay for their logo to be part of the frame, he explained.
"Because you get a lot of government grants, it brings down the production costs to zero, so the bicycles can be given away for free.
We are copying a business model from the high-tech world where software is distributed free because it includes embedded advertising," Mr Elmish explained.
"It could be sold for around $20, because (retailers) have to make a profit ... and we think they should not cost any more than that. We will make our money from advertising," he added.
Mr Elmish said initial production was set to begin in Israel within months on three bicycle models, and a wheelchair, and they will be available to purchase within a year.
The bicycles are not only very cheap to make, they are very light and do not need to be adjusted or repaired, while the solid tyres, of reconstituted rubber, cannot be punctured, Mr Elmish said.
"These bikes need no maintenance and no adjustment, a car timing belt is used instead of a chain, and the tyres do not need inflating and can last for 10 years," he said.
A full-size cardboard bicycle will weigh about 9kg (about 20 lb) compared to an average metal bicycle, which weighs about 14kg.
The urban bicycle, similar to London's "Boris bikes" and others worldwide, will have a mounting for a personal electric motor.
Mr Elmish said as the bicycles would be so cheap, it hardly mattered how long they lasted. "So you buy one, use it for a year and then you can buy another one, and if it breaks, you can take it back to the factory and recycle it," he said.
Mr Gafni predicted that in the future cardboard might even be used in cars and even aircraft, "but that is still a way down the road.
"We are just at the beginning and from here my vision is to see cardboard replacing metals ... and countries that right now don't have the money, will be able to benefit from so many uses for this material," he said.
Reuters
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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Oct 28, 2012 - 12:48am PT
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No matter how silly the realities of that idea are on any kind of a large production scale, it's great to hear of someone actually doing something innovative for a change.
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tooth
Trad climber
B.C.
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Oct 28, 2012 - 01:50am PT
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The guy immersed his prototype for days and it still runs fine. He coats it to protect it.
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Srbphoto
climber
Kennewick wa
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Oct 28, 2012 - 11:57am PT
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I wonder what the cost analysis is if you compare the energy and materials to build a basic steel framed bike that will last decades (like my old Specialized) vs the materials and energy used to make and recycle the bunch of cardboard bikes I would go through in the same time frame.
It's interesting that we complain that this is a disposable society but as long as we can recycle something it's ok. It's as if you touch it with a fairy wand and it's magically recycled. People forget that recycling has it's costs and issues.
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Oct 28, 2012 - 01:16pm PT
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You can usually repair a steel frame if you crash which is usually not the case with one of those plastic made - in- china frames from Cervelo...
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Oct 28, 2012 - 03:06pm PT
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The Chief...I said USUALLY , not always on the steel frame repairs....RJ
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Oct 28, 2012 - 09:32pm PT
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I love the cardboard bike. It is supposed to be water and fire proof.
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Oct 28, 2012 - 09:46pm PT
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Bamboo baby!
There is an interesting part in David Millar's book where he lays into Lance about not doing more to clean up the sport.
Some good background on Team Sky as well.
It is hard at this point to trust any of them, but time(s) literally will tell. Watching the winning times late in grand tours will be a good indication.
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Srbphoto
climber
Kennewick wa
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Oct 29, 2012 - 12:49am PT
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I love the bamboo frames. I saw some show about how they are made. The company made one for a woman who was a cyclocross rider.
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rockermike
Trad climber
Berkeley
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interesting flash back to when Lance was a hero. hmmmm
(hour long video about US Postal run-up to tour in 2001. Actually a fun flick to watch IMHO, even if you know now what was going on in the closet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRYEz8KqYZE&feature=watch-vrec
edit: Fear's point noted; I should have said "perceived my many as a hero...". Yea, sports stars, even if clean are not heroes.
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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interesting flash back to when Lance was a hero. hmmmm
Lance was never, ever a hero. He rode a bike for lots of money. End of story.
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Alpamayo
Trad climber
Chapel Hill, NC
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Lance was never, ever a hero. He rode a bike for lots of money. End of story. I'll bet there are/were a lot of people with cancer, especially in the early 2000's who would pretty strongly disagree with that statement. He was a big hero to people living with cancer.
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Well, my grandma passed away last year. The cancer finally got her.
But she'd had it a couple times before and went into remission. The second time around was right when Lance started dominating. And despite not having even been exposed to bike racing before that, she became a huge fan, watched all the live TDF coverage every day, for years. He was a big hero to her, and probably the biggest reason she decided to go through the gnarly courses of chemo the second time around.
So you know what? Go sell your "he was never a hero" sanctimonious bullshit somewhere else.
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Opinion: Armstrong case provides a window into our collective morality
By Dr. Phil Skiba
Published Nov. 2, 2012
Updated 5 hours ago
Dr. Phil Skiba believes the Armstrong case highlights aspects of our collective celebrity worship and "win at all costs" mentality. Photo: Gabriel Bouys | AFP
“This is my body, and I can do whatever I want to it. […] What am I on? I’m on my bike busting my ass six hours a day. What are you on?” — Lance Armstrong, from a 2001 Nike commercial
The above quote seems equally prophetic and disingenuous in light of recent events. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has revealed over 1000 pages of documentation in support of a single conclusion: Lance Armstrong achieved his near-superhuman results through a combination of performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions. He was the de facto ringleader of a breathtaking fraud. Despite this, I find myself answering a single question with alarming frequency: “Who cares?”
People who seek to minimize Armstrong’s transgressions often reference the doping present in other sports. They may point to Marion Jones or some similar story as evidence that doping is simply endemic to elite competition. Aside from the fact that it is ridiculous to excuse bad behavior by pointing to other bad behavior, there is an important difference in the present case. We find it somehow more offensive than what has come before. I’ve puzzled over that fact for some weeks now, and I believe I understand why that is. I will begin my explanation with another Armstrong quote:
“Finally, the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the skeptics: I’m sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. I’m sorry you don’t believe in miracles.” — Lance Armstrong, 2005 Tour de France victory speech
Armstrong sold an intangible product coveted by all fair-minded people: the idea that clean living and a supreme work ethic are rewarded. He offered the belief that despite impossible odds, we can triumph over the insurmountable through the force of human will.
As a cancer survivor and as a physician, I wanted to believe in the Lance mythos more than anyone. I have used his example to help motivate my sickest patients for more than a decade. I am deeply disappointed at the way Armstrong provided false hope to desperate, vulnerable people, and then used them as his most ardent supporters. He sought veneration and financial gain in the hearts of people with catastrophic illness in the most craven way. This is the first reason you should care; Armstrong fed his own worst demons with our best angels.
The survivor community will recover from this blow. We will find hope in our families, in each other and in our doctors, as we should. Our society as a whole has something a bit more insidious to address, and this may represent a more important reason you should care. Armstrong has demonstrated that you can lie, cheat, bully, damage the personal and professional reputation of others, traffic in and use drugs, pressure others to traffic in and use drugs, and still come out a “winner” financially, professionally, and socially. He has reinforced the suspicion that has gone through the mind of anyone who has ever sat through an algebra test and noticed another kid using a crib sheet: Playing fair is for suckers.
You may believe that Armstrong’s sanction from USADA obviates this last point. You are wrong. Lance Armstrong Inc. is doing just fine. Nike, along with his other sponsors, have distanced themselves from him but are standing behind the LiveStrong brand. Celebrities continue to turn up at LiveStrong events. A bill has been proffered in Congress to defang the organization that caught him.
Rather than abiding by the reasoned decision of USADA, sporting events have given up the sanctioning of USA Triathlon so that Lance Armstrong was able to race. Allow that to sink in for a moment. Race organizations have actually turned their backs on anti-doping rules for the purposes of bringing the worst cheater in the history of sport to their events.
Simply put, the Armstrong case may be symbolic of a decline in our popular morality, which worships celebrity above fair play, hard work and decent behavior. It is also a window into how far the “win at all costs” mentality has contaminated our collective psyche.
Lance Armstrong has set, and continues to set, a very bad example, and in so doing works against what I do as a physician, teacher and professional sports consultant every single day. Unless we demand better, we risk continuing down a very cynical path. This is the final reason you should care. There will always be real heroes and false champions: it is for our collective good that we must elevate the former and demote the latter.
Dr. Skiba is the program director for Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University of Exeter, and is the incoming program director for Sports Medicine at Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, IL. Dr. Skiba has trained a number of elite endurance athletes, including two world champions.
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zBrown
Ice climber
chingadero de chula vista
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Compare with the curious case of Richard Milhous Nixon.
When the President does it, that means that it's not illegal.
Or perhaps the curiouser case of one Jimmy "great balls of fire" Swaggert
[Click to View YouTube Video]
If Lance Armstrong comes clean and apoligizes can he be forgiven?
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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So you know what? Go sell your "he was never a hero" sanctimonious bullshit somewhere else.
Not selling anything. Just pointing out what is obvious to me. It's up to everyone to decide who, if anyone, they decide to idolize.
If believing in a sun-God that draws the sun across the sky in a chariot every day helps someone overcome a horrible disease then more power to them. I would not want to interfere with a fantasy that works for someone.
Belief is a poweful thing. But reality is often very, very different.
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