Rage Against the Machine Rocker -- LANCE ARMSTRONG RULES ... Time to Forgive the Guy

Lance Armstrong has a pretty cool ally -- the bassist from Rage Against the Machine ... who's vouching that Armstrong still "rules" and says it's time for people to get over the P.E.D. scandal.

TMZ Sports spoke with Tim Commerford -- who's gotten pretty serious about cycling over the years -- and he told us that Armstrong was his "pit crew guy" during a recent race in Colorado.

"[He] took care of me and fed me and hydrated me ... trained with me and all that. It was an awesome experience."

And get this ... Commerford says despite the cheating and all the other bad stuff Armstrong 'fessed up to, he still thinks Lance is an inspiring guy and deserves a second chance with the American public.

As for Lance, he's taken a self deprecating approach in the hopes to change his image ... and recently got props from the cops for helping spread the word about a bike thief.