Redundant trainer
November 22, 2008 7:41 PM   Subscribe

Now we know what Mike Post has been up to lately. It's a treadmill. Powered by your feet. That you run on. Outdoors. On the road. Kind of like...running...on the road. The mind boggles.
posted by ericbop (52 comments total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
Who is Mike Post?
posted by mrnutty at 7:45 PM on November 22, 2008


He wrote the theme songs to lots of '80's TV shows, which all sound just like the soundtrack to this video.
posted by ericbop at 7:51 PM on November 22, 2008


It's a stationary bicycle. Powered by your feet. That you ride on. Outdoors. On the road. Crazy concept.
posted by jetsetsc at 7:59 PM on November 22, 2008




The treadmill infomercial fake Mike Post can't hold a candle to this gem from MeFiMu - Small Town News Affiliate Song.
Dagosto, do you do infomercial music as well?

'Believe it or not I treadmill around, I never thought I could be so lay-ay-ame'
posted by isopraxis at 8:01 PM on November 22, 2008


Heh, it's like a Segway but slightly less useless.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:04 PM on November 22, 2008


Favorite moment:

THE ULTIMATE PATENT PENDING MACHINE THAT WILL CHANGE OUR COUNTRY FROM A FAT ONE TO A FIT ONE
posted by piratebowling at 8:05 PM on November 22, 2008


If only it were enclosed in a bubble, so I could use it in the rain!
posted by blue_beetle at 8:06 PM on November 22, 2008 [9 favorites]


. . . or repeating backdrops of Bedrock.
posted by isopraxis at 8:09 PM on November 22, 2008 [2 favorites]


At least my search for an activity that appears to be more gay than the 2 man luge is over.
posted by isopraxis at 8:11 PM on November 22, 2008 [3 favorites]


The official website is even better;
posted by Bearded Dave at 8:13 PM on November 22, 2008


if they could only enclose this in a human hamster ball,
it would be like an exercise turducken
posted by Auden at 8:31 PM on November 22, 2008 [15 favorites]


Can I set my desired heart rate on the treadmobile?
posted by rageagainsttherobots at 8:31 PM on November 22, 2008


what i want to know is if i put a jet pack on my back and run on this, will i still be able to take off?
posted by pyramid termite at 8:33 PM on November 22, 2008 [5 favorites]


Mike Post's big Wigan tune: Afternoon of the Rhino. (Which still sounds like the theme to the Rockford Files, CHiPS, etc., etc.)
posted by PeterMcDermott at 8:33 PM on November 22, 2008


This was the true story today on the "Bluff the Listener" game on Wait Wait today.
posted by Tehanu at 8:45 PM on November 22, 2008


At least my search for an activity that appears to be more gay than the 2 man luge is over.

Actually I saw no hint of homosexual activity in this video, nor have I heard that the luge is overly favored by homosexuals. What are you trying to say?
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:53 PM on November 22, 2008 [1 favorite]


The guys in the video don't appear to be enjoying it. But I'm assuming anybody under 200 lbs is probably not strong enough to move it.
posted by ardgedee at 8:56 PM on November 22, 2008


Can a plane take off from a treadmill with wheels?
posted by smackfu at 9:03 PM on November 22, 2008


Actually I saw no hint of homosexual activity in this video, nor have I heard that the luge is overly favored by homosexuals. What are you trying to say?

Ah. I knew someone would try to capitalize on the low-hanging fruit of the word gay combined with the 2 man luge.

If you tried the 2 man luge with me (there is a run only a few kilometers away from my house,) then you could better discern whether it is merely offering fun and gaiety; "a festive (or festal) occasion"; "gay and exciting night life"; "a merry evening", or gay in your narrow interpretation and usage of the word.
posted by isopraxis at 9:15 PM on November 22, 2008


Meh. I'm lazy; I'd want to have one that scooted about using batteries. That way I could drive down to the donut shop, get some donuts and a coffee, motor along up to a scenic bylock, park, have my donuts and coffee, maybe run 5K on the treadmill if I'm in the mood, and then motor along along home.
posted by sebastienbailard at 9:16 PM on November 22, 2008 [1 favorite]


I wouldn't do this, but it's not entirely ridiculous. You're on a treadmill, not directly on the road or sidewalk, so the chance of injuring yourself is lower, although you'll burn fewer calories. You'll also get more varied scenery than the sweaty back in front of you at the gym or the tv in your living room, which could help increase your interest and the amount of time you're willing to exercise. This device seems to target a segment of a market that I suspect does not exist (Announcer: Is too-low resistance, relative ease, and/or sameness of sights limiting your desire to exercise??? We've got a product for you!), but I've seen products that appear to be more ridiculous and seem to sell (most infomercial offerings).
posted by LiliaNic at 9:35 PM on November 22, 2008


If you live in New England, a flat, pothole-free surface beneath your jogging shoes is worth its weight in gold. He'll sell a zillion of these to sprained-ankle fitness nuts who have not learned, as I have, that it is better to sit in sloth and eat yummy fresh samosas and pakora daily from the ill-named "Not Just Snacks" indian restaurant up the street than it is to sprain ankles jogging only to reward yourself with a hundred-calorie pack of "Teddy Grahams" from the Super Stop'n'Shop.
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:42 PM on November 22, 2008


OMG this is stupid. What's next, a bike that you pedal but doesn't move?
posted by Pronoiac at 9:42 PM on November 22, 2008 [3 favorites]




re Hula Bike: is he trying to fuck the air? and why isn't this post tagged with 'burningman?'
posted by roygbv at 10:09 PM on November 22, 2008 [1 favorite]


You can tell how hard he is straining to even make the thing move, and it is still poking along at a snail's pace.

"Now is the time to invest" indeed.
posted by paisley henosis at 10:11 PM on November 22, 2008


You're on a treadmill, not directly on the road or sidewalk, so the chance of injuring yourself is lower, although you'll burn fewer calories.

Although it's true that a stationary treadmill would burn fewer calories than walking or running, in this case you'd burn more. If it's really entirely unpowered it would be roughly equivalent to walking or running while wearing a backpack weighing as much as the device itself.

What I think might be cool is if there was a power-assisted version of it that caused you to move at twice or three times the speed you were actually running at, so that your relatively unimpressive running ability would make you feel like an Olympic athlete.

Of course, this may just be because I think other goofy things would be cool. Like, a holographic display on the outside of a helmet so that when you put the helmet on it makes your head look twice the size it normally is, in realtime. Mmmm... head size amplifier...
posted by XMLicious at 10:13 PM on November 22, 2008


Woah, sorry ladies, this is THE ONLY MEN POWERED TREADMOBILE!

No Treadmobile for you!
posted by paisley henosis at 10:13 PM on November 22, 2008 [1 favorite]


If you festooned this thing with six chimps - five running on the treadmill while the sixth one sat on the shoulders of the lead chimp and steered - then I think you might have a marketable concept. Especially if they were towing a guy sitting in a wheeled office chair on the end of a length of rope.

Or, if you had 60 hamsters all harnessed together with a leatherworked multi-hamster bridle, all running on the treadmill together while this same extra from the Sopranos stood with this feet on either side and steered ... I'd have my credit card out already.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 10:42 PM on November 22, 2008 [5 favorites]


What I think might be cool is if there was a power-assisted version of it that caused you to move at twice or three times the speed you were actually running at, so that your relatively unimpressive running ability would make you feel like an Olympic athlete.

You mean like an ebike? I don't think they work as well as advertised.
posted by Chuckles at 10:55 PM on November 22, 2008


Marisa Stole the Precious Thing is on to something. This needs a little hitch at the back to tow a bike wagon.
posted by sebastienbailard at 10:55 PM on November 22, 2008 [1 favorite]




What I think might be cool is if there was a power-assisted version of it that caused you to move at twice or three times the speed you were actually running at, so that your relatively unimpressive running ability would make you feel like an Olympic athlete.

It looked like it was doing that already. It's just a question of gears, isn't it?

Bearded Dave left out the link for the official site. (Flash monstrosity)
posted by Pronoiac at 11:16 PM on November 22, 2008


Slap*Happy:
Do you live in Providence, near Hope Street?
We have one of those...Not Just Snacks indeed!
posted by hugecranium at 11:43 PM on November 22, 2008


Bearded Dave left out the link for the official site.

Note the unprofessional blue background.
posted by Chuckles at 11:53 PM on November 22, 2008


Well, Joel, our invention this week is something we stole from Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank...
posted by Servo5678 at 4:16 AM on November 23, 2008 [3 favorites]


It looked like it was doing that already. It's just a question of gears, isn't it?

No matter what the gearing is, if it's unpowered it would require (at least) twice as much effort to double the speed you're moving at. At best an unpowered device could provide twice the speed in exchange for feeling like you're pushing a refrigerator across a flat floor. I was suggesting something powered that would feel like wearing seven league boots, more speed for less effort. (But I was just kidding, anyways.)
posted by XMLicious at 4:51 AM on November 23, 2008


Ah. I knew someone would try to capitalize on the low-hanging fruit of the word gay combined with the 2 man luge.

IHBT, IHL, HAND.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 4:58 AM on November 23, 2008


Previously, sorta.
posted by fixedgear at 6:21 AM on November 23, 2008


The inventor, Alex Astilean, has sued Jessica Simpson because "she is hurting millions of fat people in America." (Apparently, she made an exercise video for him and then refused to let it be released.)
posted by notmtwain at 7:17 AM on November 23, 2008


Yeah, sorry about leaving the link out, I included it but somehow messed up between pasting and posting - hence the dangling ";" Thanx for posting it, Pronoiac!
posted by Bearded Dave at 7:21 AM on November 23, 2008


I know the post wasn't really about Mike Post but I looked to see if I could find what he is up to now.

Mike Post has a studio in LA. Applications for the Pete Carpenter fellowship for young music composers are now being taken and the winning applicant will get an expense paid trip to work with Mike Post for up to five weeks.
posted by notmtwain at 7:35 AM on November 23, 2008


This post had me laughing so hard that I don't need to go to the gym today! I want it all-- the outdoor treadmill, the treadmill with cookies, and the hula bike.

But srsly. Can I get the outdoor elliptical machine? One that goes over ice and snow? So I can have the experience of cross country skiing but with all the comfort of my beloved machine. And if could come with a heating coil in the cup holder to keep my hot cocoa nice and warm, that would be great.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 7:54 AM on November 23, 2008 [2 favorites]


How 'bout a bike that you don't pedal, but moves?

And, for completeness, a bike you don't pedal and that doesn't move (on its own).
posted by tommasz at 9:17 AM on November 23, 2008


Mike Post: Hill Street Blues, Magnum PI, the A-team, Rockford Files, the Greatest American Hero, CHiPS, and, perhaps most enduringly, Law and Order. And many more.

Dude's a monster.
posted by dirtdirt at 10:47 AM on November 23, 2008 [1 favorite]


Mike Postmortem.
posted by porn in the woods at 1:55 PM on November 23, 2008


God I love the A-Team theme song.
posted by empath at 2:52 PM on November 23, 2008 [1 favorite]


This would have been so much better if he had pulled into a drive-thru and tipped the whole thing over with a rack of brontosaurus ribs.
posted by billyfleetwood at 12:03 AM on November 24, 2008


If you put wings on your arms and ran on this thing fast enough, would you take off?
posted by gottabefunky at 12:18 AM on November 24, 2008


Running is a silly way to increase cardio-vascular fitness without the mobile treadmill. Cycling is a bit silly. Swimming is not.

The question is, how much electrickery could we convert from the exertions of treadmill and exercise bike users if they were set up with dynamos?

However, I think we can all agree that gottabefunky is asking a more pertinent question here!
posted by asok at 7:28 AM on November 24, 2008


The only person I could see riding a Hula Bike and look appropriate would be Hard Gay.
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 7:52 AM on November 24, 2008


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