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Post by artraveler on Aug 23, 2022 18:00:04 GMT -8
There are two types of bike riders. The first and by far the most numerous are on 2,000 dollar bikes wearing spandex and pointy helmets. They invariably ride in the middle of the street, fail to stop at stop signs, weave through traffic and contemptuously glare at drivers of internal combustion automobiles. They refuse to believe that they are vulnerable on the street. 150 lb giryle man, 30 lb bike with no real structural strength vs 2500 lb auto. The other type is Brad.
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Brad Nelson
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eBikes
Aug 23, 2022 19:57:29 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 23, 2022 19:57:29 GMT -8
Well, thanks. I will say that my style of bike riding comes more from self-preservation through long experience than the desire to be polite, per se. But I can't imagine even coming within a millions of miles of being the kind of ass who gets in the face of some handicap person who is using an electric device to get around, whether for normal activity or just recreation. Boggles the mind.
I'm actually a little embarrassed to now be part of that $2000 bike club, although at that level, I'd still be eating in the kitchen. The real club members have $5500 and up bikes (non-electric).
I did a few more miles on the eBike tonight. I want to see how many miles I get out of one charge. I'm at 28 miles now with maybe about 10% of the battery left. So I'm guessing 30 miles is a reasonable estimate, and that is with liberal use of high pedal assist settings as well as the throttle. In fact, I was having fun tonight just throttling myself around for a while. I figured that was the quickest way to use up juice.
And as much pedal assist and throttle that I've used, getting as much as 30 miles out of it still astounds me. I'm never going to do that much cycling in a day short of a sudden escape from a zombie apocalypse.
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Brad Nelson
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eBikes
Aug 24, 2022 7:49:46 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 24, 2022 7:49:46 GMT -8
I still haven't seen my review posted on Ride1Up's site. Was it too detailed? I don't know. Maybe they just haven't gotten to it yet. But it obviously has to go through some moderation process. A couple more observations (to compile into a second review if the first review ever makes it): Thank goodness that the tires on the LMT'D use that standard Schrader valve and not the stupid French Presta valve. [ Valve types.] When I last upgraded my wheels on my regular mountain bike, they came with Presta valves. I have no idea if this is a function of the rims or of just the inner tube. But these valves require extra steps, are fiddly, and seem fragile. And I've seen zero evidence that they hold the pressure in better as my bike shop guy said they did. The Presta valve is European, so it must be better, right? It's French. It seems like something they invented just so they weren't using the same thing as the British or Americans.
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eBikes
Aug 24, 2022 9:32:54 GMT -8
Post by kungfuzu on Aug 24, 2022 9:32:54 GMT -8
I never knew there were so many different valve types for bicycle tires. I guess this comes under the "why make something simple if you can make it complicated" rubric.
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Brad Nelson
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eBikes
Aug 25, 2022 16:04:35 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 25, 2022 16:04:35 GMT -8
Does the red light mean it's charging? Or is it the green light? Or does the green light come on when charging is complete? Or does the light go off when charging is complete? There is very little consistency of what a charger is doing and I'm usually confused. The one for my eBike says the red light comes on when it's charging the battery and turns to green when it's fully charged. Ride1Up says it take 3 to 6 hours to charge your battery, depending on how low it was to begin with. After 7 hours the red light on the external charger was still on. But, you'll be amazed to hear, the light on the battery itself (activated with the press of a button...I wasn't even sure that the thing was a button) showed blue. Of course, blue means "fully charged," green (green?) means half full or lower, and red means very low. That all makes sense. I guess. I emailed the Ride1Up guy about this. He said that sometimes the light on the external charger goes to green. Sometimes not. He told me just to set a timer and then check if the light on the battery itself is blue. I can do that. Blue means charged. Blue means charged. Not green. I can remember that. Sure. I did 11 miles rambling around (mainly up, then down) Ueland Tree Farm this afternoon. I'm still mentally calculating how to use this eBike. What I can now say with certainty is that it's meant for the road (or logging roads, or any fairly wide-open trail). But it is not made for trails that snake their way through the forests, over stumps, roots, and loose dirt. I took one of my usual routes (on a logging road) and found it closed off several miles in. But they had created a bypass trail through the woods the connected up with the road 3/4 miles down or so. And it was a struggle trying to ride this bike through this trail which was by no means technically difficult and I could have easily done on my old mountain bike. But the weight of the eBike made the bike much less nimble. Also causing problems was that much of that weight was in the back. Further, if you had power assist on (which I always do), the small fits and starts of the motor while trying to wend your way through a forest of trees make having (for me) any kind of feel for the trail very difficult. At one point I had a minor 1/3 mph crash into a tree. Nothing serious, but it showed me that this bike wasn't made for this kind of trail. And that's fine. I didn't really think it would be. And I didn't buy it for that. But I was going to take it to Port Gamble this weekend where they have all kinds of forest trails. I was going to see how the bike would do. Now I already know. But it eats road for breakfast. And it does do one thing I was hoping it would do: Allow me to peddle around some of this hilly terrain without killing myself. In confess, I set the bike on maximum peddle assist. And if that sounds too girlish, it's worth noting that due to the weight of the bike (and, I think, it's greater resistance to moving than my regular mountain bike), I need probably 1/3 of that power just to counter-balance the weight/resistance. So I took this on a route that is very hilly. And, with the help of the throttle at times, I pretty much breezed through the route. The bike flattened out all the hilly spots that I would usual struggle with or just give up and walk with my old regular mountain bike. Is that cheating? Yes, it is. But you know what? I like the bike doing a lot of this work. I like getting my exercise. But having struggled up countless hills in my day, there is something pleasing about just zipping right up them. Plus, at least ½ of the experience of bike riding, if not more, is just getting out into the outdoors and getting the wind in your face. Yes, the exercise feels nice, but the plan for this bike was "What are you going to do when you're not Bruce Jenner anymore?" And this bike shows me that I should be able to cruise around and not kill myself physically to have a little fun. I also thought of yuze guys while out there. If bike riding isn't for you because it's too much work, you might want to give one of these eBikes a try. You can have fun and not kill yourself. It was 88 degrees out there today and I barely drank any water. That's how much "cheating" I did. But, really, I think 90% of the expenditure of energy on my old bike is just tackling the steeper hills. And, like I said, that gets old and I don't feel particularly guilty using the throttle to zip up a few of those hills. But I'm still peddling. I'm still completely covered in sweat. Another thing that occurs to me is that an eBike will at least double my range. And it's not because you're going faster on the eBike, although that factors in sometimes. It's because the bike is doing enough of the work that you don't exhaust yourself so quickly. All that aside, what I love most about this bike is the brakes. There is one very long and steep section (the red areas on the left side of the map) that I've only made it up two or three times on my regular bike. I usually walk it up most of that. And, interestingly, the eBike didn't make it either. I had made liberal use of the throttle reaching that point. And while on the steeper section, the bike just momentarily gave up the ghosts. Whether it overheated or not, I don't know. But I had to get off and walk it for about 50 yards. Like I said, it's a killer hill. But the reason I mention this hill is that the really difficult part is coming back down that steep hill. It's full of gravel. And on my regular bike, I take it fairly slow. You develop a "feel" for if you are pushing past the limits of your bike, and I think part of this has to do with your brakes. On the eBike, the brakes and overall feel are very good. I was fairly blazing down this hill (relatively speaking). In fact, it suddenly occurred to me to be on guard for this extra steep patch that is the most treacherous. But I found I had already past it and didn't even know it. The hydraulic brakes on this eBike give you a feel and control (probably combined with the tires and weight) that give a more secure ride than my regular mountain bike. I wouldn't have expected that.
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eBikes
Aug 25, 2022 16:27:08 GMT -8
Post by kungfuzu on Aug 25, 2022 16:27:08 GMT -8
No, it is using the tool for the purpose it was built.
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Brad Nelson
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Aug 25, 2022 16:51:09 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 25, 2022 16:51:09 GMT -8
I stand corrected. And, by the way, speaking of standing, that gel seat cushion makes all the difference. I don't have to stand, if you know what I mean.
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 27, 2022 12:42:53 GMT -8
An example of why one should not ride bikes on public roads. This is particularly the case in many countries around the world where driving etiquette is not quite so developed as it is in the USA. Killed In Kiev I'd as soon ride a bike in Bangkok or Bombay. My advice to those who are living overseas, take a taxi.
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Brad Nelson
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 27, 2022 13:55:11 GMT -8
There's not a lot to go on. But if the truck was making a hard right to pull into a parking lot (presumably slowing way down first), and if the bike rider was heading in the same direction (and moving at the time), it seems possible that the bike rider just plowed into the side of the truck.
Or the bike rider was stationary at the time and just go run over. From my perspective, both seem like completely avoidable events. But details are sparse on this. Nevertheless, the lesson is that cars and trucks are normally going to come out ahead in any altercation with a bicyclist.
WTF?
The only way you can have "zero traffic deaths" is to have no traffic. These wide-eyed goals that are always pronounced like this just show you how stupid these people are.
Thousands of people (bicyclists or otherwise) are killed in vehicle accidents each year. Probably 95% of them are completely preventable and aren't "accidents" in the usual sense (the brakes suddenly stop working...a deer jumps out in front of your car...you swerve to avoid some homeless person who suddenly wandered onto the road and hit an oncoming car).
I don't know the circumstances of these accidents. But it's a good guess that bicyclist carelessness or arrogance are partly to blame.
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 28, 2022 10:32:50 GMT -8
I agree, but the one certainty in both cases is that the bike riders are dead. More information might be interesting for the authorities, but it matters little to the victims. As you say, traffic deaths are a common occurrence. They are a trade-off between modern life and safety. People make their own choices. Like you, I suspect these deaths might be traced back to the bicyclists' own mistakes. Even if they weren't they are still dead. Riding bikes on crowded streets is a risky business, at best. That said, life is a risk and you never know when your number is up. About forty years ago, I was visiting customers in the industrial area of Jurong in Singapore. There was not a great amount of traffic in the area, but there were a lot of trucks hauling various cargoes around. I came to an intersection which was something like this one. These were designed so as to allow right flowing traffic to continue driving instead of having to stop and turn right. There were cross walks in all such lanes. In the middle of the lane stood a large haulage truck loaded with steel plate. On the grassy side of the lane lay a steel plate which had slid off the truck. The plate must have been about 15'x 6'x 2". Such a plate would weigh about 7 tons. A quick glance informed me that there were two legs protruding from underneath this plate. The legs appeared to be those of a local Indian worker. I could see it all in mind mind's eye. The poor man was waiting on the side of the road to cross the street when a truck drove by somewhat too fast. To compound this mistake, the driver had not insured that the load he was hauling was properly secured. As a result, a steel plate slid off the top of the stack and crushed the poor man waiting to cross the road. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes I do believe there is something called fate.
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Brad Nelson
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eBikes
Aug 28, 2022 10:39:57 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 28, 2022 10:39:57 GMT -8
Good points.
On another related subject, my review was not accepted by the Ride1Up guys. Maybe it was too verbose. It certainly didn't lack in being complementary. Oh well.
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eBikes
Aug 28, 2022 11:13:04 GMT -8
Post by kungfuzu on Aug 28, 2022 11:13:04 GMT -8
Thanks. Please go back and read my post again. I expanded it with a story which actually happened to me in Singapore. Being right and following the rules does not mean that fate will not sometimes bite you on the ass.
Who can know what goes on with these sites. Literacy does not appear to be one of the prerequisites for being published.
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Brad Nelson
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Aug 28, 2022 11:48:59 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 28, 2022 11:48:59 GMT -8
Yeah. Even so, I have no faith in "the system." Like I've related many times before, I'm aghast at people who enter the crosswalk as soon as it turn green (for them) and don't even glance to see if the oncoming cars are going to stop.
If you take the mindset that you are surrounded by idiots, you will be much safer.
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 28, 2022 19:59:54 GMT -8
The system certainly failed for that poor fellow. It failed when the loader didn't properly check to see if the load was secure. It failed when the driver also didn't check. And I suspect it failed in that the truck was overloaded and the driver was speeding going around the corner. None of these failures were uncommon. But to be standing on the side of the road and have a steel plate slide on top of you, is really bad luck. He was likely a Hindu so it was ordained. Same case if he was a Muslim.
Being developed by human beings, all systems fail at one time or another. This is one of the big reasons to follow your suggestion and assume you are surrounded by idiots and people who don't give a damn about anything or anyone but themselves. Like Pascal's wager on believing in God, "if you don't and he exists, you lose. If you do and he doesn't exist, you lose nothing."
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Brad Nelson
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Aug 29, 2022 7:18:55 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 29, 2022 7:18:55 GMT -8
Some events like that are unavoidable no matter how Artler-like one is aware of one's surroundings. Still, haven't we all (probably several times) had a truck to the side of us in the other lane with cargo that looked dangerous?
You can't tell if things are tied down correctly. But I either speed up or slow down. But what I don't do is ride along side the truck any longer than I have to. And if I was a pedestrian along the side of the road, if I saw that truck coming, I might well have stepped back.
But you can't have eyes in the back of your head and that's one reason riding or walking in or near traffic is dangerous. Smart phones have exacerbated the problem making drivers more inattentive than usual.
You can't have eyes on the bottom of your feet either. I was out riding yesterday. Part of Ueland Tree Farm has been carved up into "Kitsap Quarry." You can still ride through parts of it but some of the logging roads are freshly dug or chewed up with inches of loose soil on the top.
I was riding on one at no more than 3 or 4 mph, going level and straight, and hit a deep patch of dirt. My bike skidded and I was going down. You might have given me a 9.5 for my dismount. I bailed and landed on two feet. That's not the first time I've caught myself like that. And, knock on wood, the only time I've had a real accident at any real speed (maybe 12 mph) is when I hit a patch of dry dirt that might have had a little water lubricating it. I was going around a corner on a logging road (on a road I'd been on dozens of times) and the bike just instantly went out from under me. No major damage to anything. But sometimes you can't account for everything.
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Post by kungfuzu on Aug 29, 2022 10:36:13 GMT -8
I do exactly the same thing.
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Brad Nelson
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eBikes
Aug 29, 2022 17:38:17 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 29, 2022 17:38:17 GMT -8
I contacted the company and they said they never got my review. I'll thus try again.
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eBikes
Aug 29, 2022 18:42:21 GMT -8
Post by kungfuzu on Aug 29, 2022 18:42:21 GMT -8
The old Spam inbox?
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Post by Brad Nelson on Aug 29, 2022 19:03:09 GMT -8
LOL. Maybe so. You submit the review via their website. I guess the dog ate my homework. I submitted a revised review tonight: This review is meant to address real-world experiences with the XR LMT'D eBike after two weeks. If you wish to skip to the end, my conclusion is: This will make a great commuter bike. Five stars. Get your wallet out now. The only thing you'll need to do is accessorize it a bit. Some of the less expensive bikes from Ride1Up might suit your needs too. But if you spring the extra bucks for this, you won't be disappointed. I mostly ride off-road on logging roads and other trails. My area is not particularly amenable to riding along the paved roads. My existing mid-range Fuji mountain bike does a good job. The XR LMT'D is meant to be a substitute for, or adjunct to, a regular mountain bike. And my reasons for buying the LMT'D were twofold: One, just to try this newfangled eBike thing out and, two, because, at 64, I was looking long-term at extending my ability to ride bikes, in the mountains or otherwise. My legs and knees aren't getting any younger. The rest of this review is about how the LMT'D handles in general, and particularly in off-road situations. If you're like me, if you spend some bucks for an eBike, you want it to be fairly versatile and not a one-trick pony. The roads I frequent are gravelly. And right now everything is dry and lubricated with a fine dust. Surprisingly, the tires on the LMT'D do a good job – certainly no worse than my knobby tires on generally hard-surface (if rocky) roads and trails. Knobby tires would no doubt do better in loose dirt. And when these initial tires wear out, I may switch to a knobby tire. But do know that I found the LMT'D extremely stable on the worst of roads. I would recommend tire pressure at no more than 35 psi to maximize traction. (40 psi is listed as the max) Adding to that stability were the stupendous hydraulic brakes. They really add to the control and feel of the bike. The derailleur also work superbly. Overall, I was surprised that the LMT'D handled better than my (about) $750.00 medium-quality mountain bike which has aggressive knobby tires. If this bike feels stable zooming down gravelly logging roads, it's going to be a peach for any kind of commuter cycling. The power output (smoothness) at the default settings was superb. The bike felt very natural and in no way was difficult to handle. I moved the power range setting from the default 0-3 to 0-5, but I think, as a practical matter, I won't need those finer increments. As far as being able to mountain bike with the LMT'D until I'm 80, the reality is a little clearer after a couple of weeks. First, I didn't want a motorcycle. I wanted to work out. And it gives me a very good work out. You can basically put as much into the peddling as you want. That said, you must peddle to a certain extent. This bike is not set up for a completely free ride, although liberal use of the throttle is useful from time to time. And I do find the throttle to be useful, which is what steered me toward the LMT'D rather than the Prodigy. If possible, one modification I may do is switch the front chainring from a 44 tooth sprocket to a 34. I'd like a little more low-end gearing. I don't need to go 25 miles per hour. In fact, it's not particularly safe to do so on these dirt roads. So a little more gearing at the low end should enhance my experience. The peddle assist certainly smooths out many of the hills. And I found myself peddling up most of them rather than (with my other bike) walking up them. But there were a couple that still overcame the bike (and me), even at full throttle. And in nearly all cases, the exertion (while significant) was not quite as jarring on my knees. The peddle assist can let you enjoy the ride and not get involved in too much heavy grinding up steep hills. I don't mind the exercise but grinding up steep hills gets old. The LMT'D's motor resembles a stallion. It doesn't like just chugging along at 1 mph. If you can build up even the tiniest bit of speed, the horse bolts and you then really feel the assist when you need it. That is, you have to put some real effort in and then this stallion of a bike kicks in fairly efficiently and helps you. I think you get the most efficient peddle assist when you are at least moving a few MPH. A slow, crawling slog up a steep hill does not play into this bike's strength. My only criticism has nothing to do with Ride1Up or the bike. It's just that at 53 (or more, from what I've heard) pounds, this is on the very edge of what I would honestly call a "bicycle." That extra weight is there and you're aware of it. Due to the weight (as well as it being a little back-heavy), I didn't find the bike nimble enough to do any satisfying single-trail tracks, the kind that curve through the woods over stumps and roots. But then I didn't expect that it would be suitable for this. But I did want to test this aspect of it. That's why I'm not selling my non-powered mountain bike anytime soon. I still like riding some of those off-off-road trails from time to time. The seat is okay but I highly recommend adding a gel-seat cover. I use the SuperSo brand. It has always served me well. One other minor point is that the power assist number on the display is in blue and is a little hard to read. I would recommend changing that to white if Ride1Up has the ability to do that in firmware. A prime consideration I had before buying an eBike was how much noise they made. The motor on the LMT'D is fairly quiet most of the time. And even when working at its hardest, it's not a screamer. Generally the noise level is a non-issue. The battery pack goes in and out easily and securely. And I feel a lot better about a bike that has the battery on the top side of the frame rather than the bottom. It's just never going to accidentally fall out. Thank goodness that the tires on the LMT'D use that standard Schrader valve and not the French Presta valve. These Presta valves require extra steps, are fiddly, and seem fragile. And I've seen zero evidence that they hold the pressure better. Overall, I found the bike to be satisfying to ride, stable, and with a smooth and predictable power output. The range I get from the battery seems acceptable. I do wish it was lighter. And I would say that some of the power output of the motor goes toward simply driving that extra weight as well as (I think) the higher rolling friction. That is, this is not a bike I would want to ride without peddle assist. It would be too heavy and sluggish. But it eats road for breakfast. And it does do one thing I was hoping it would do: It allows me to cruise around and not kill myself physically in order to have a little fun. But I'm still peddling. I'm still completely covered in sweat after a ride. But don't let that scare you in terms of using it as a commuter bike. On pavement that is more or less level, you can do 15 mph and up easily without breaking a sweat (depending upon what level of assist you use). If you want exercise, you can have that. If you just want to get to work and not have to shower when you get there, this will do that too.
Another aspect of the eBike is that it will at least double my range. And it's not because you're going faster on the eBike, although that factors in sometimes. It's because the bike is doing enough of the work that you don't exhaust yourself so quickly. I'm already going places with the bike that I wouldn't have otherwise with my non-powered bike.
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Brad Nelson
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Sept 2, 2022 15:29:55 GMT -8
Post by Brad Nelson on Sept 2, 2022 15:29:55 GMT -8
I finally got my review up. I posted it from a different browser (Chrome instead of FireFox) and that seemed to do the trick. Don't ask me why. It's just more internet voodoo.
Having long experience on the internet, I know that a significant number of the people out there are twisted. But I chuckled to see one up vote and one down vote on my review. I gave nothing but due praise to the bike and I got a down vote.
I read a few more reviews and saw similar things. A guy would post the equivalent of "I love the bike and love the company" and he might have 7 up votes and 3 down votes. Why would anyone down-vote something like that?
This short review got 5 up votes and 16 down votes:
I paid $120 to have Bike Shop Guy Nick put it together. $200 sounds a little steep. And note that I have taken bikes completely apart – cleaned and greased everything, down to the last nut and bolt – and then completely put it back together. I could have put together the LMT'D. But my concern was having some ammunition in case something was fundamentally wrong with the bike and/or something was damaged in shipping. There's a good chance I wouldn't recognize the difference between installing a part that was difficult and a part that was difficult to install because it was damaged in some way.
But down-vote a guy because he points out that you have to put the bike together yourself or pay to have it done? He's just giving real-world opinion on a situation that is real. What a bunch of pansies people are nowadays.
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