HelixDab2

joined 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

There's a bar in Chicago, Lady Gregory's, that has a whiskey bible. They will sell you 40yo Scottish single-malt whiskey--they have multiple choices, including from distilleries that have been out of business longer than I've been alive--by the dram, at up to about $250 per dram (as of the last time I was there, in 2016). Assuming that they're using the American standard dram measurement of 4ml/dram, that works out to up to $46,000 for an entire bottle.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago (3 children)

People that shop at Costco skew far wealthier than the average American. Given that only a few Costcos, in very wealthy areas, are going to have even a single bottle of $28,000 whiskey, it's entirely reasonable to expect that they're going to be able to sell it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's your very best-case scenario, with a $600 helmet, in controlled impacts. Once you start looking at real-world crashes, those numbers start going up significantly, especially because you don't hit the ground once. If you hit the ground at speed, you bounce, and you roll.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

I was assuming that it was bicycle helmets that you were referring to with the comment about a 'styrofoam [sic] skull cap'.

I used to commute about 28 miles/day in Chicago by bicycle (I lived in the Little Village, Humboldt Park, and then Austin neighborhoods while I was working in Skokie); a heavier, fuller-coverage helmet is miserable outside of late fall/winter. The weight and ventilation difference is far, far bigger than you can imagine, unless you've tried it. Overall, I would recommend using a bicycle helmet when you're on a bicycle, and a motorcycle helmet when you're on anything with a motor.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 1 month ago

It’s my opinion that we should not stick with and try to iterate on a bad, unjust, and unfavorable system for the sake of keeping prices low with our current dietary preferences.

My issue is that you're trying to legislate changes to diet, and you're doing it by eliminating options. Or by making it unaffordable to anyone without significant disposable income. If you change 'preferences', then the issue goes away on it's own; factory farms exist because there's a demand.

If it wasn't for the unavoidable fact that eliminating farm subsidies would increase food insecurity, I'd say do that. But there's no good way to do that in a way that won't also increase risks of farms going bankrupt and poor people not being able to afford food.

If you're finding that people don't want to change their diets with the messaging that you're using, then you need to change your messaging.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

To be fair, motorcycle helmets use the same technology as bicycle helmets do: EPS foam that crushes and breaks in a crash, rather than sending the kinetic energy straight into your skull and brain. Motorcycle helmets have a bit more EPS foam, cover more area, and have heavier shells, because you don't have to worry as much about ventilation on a motorcycle as you do on a bicycle, and weight is really important when you're on a bicycle. While there are a small handful of full-face bicycle helmets, they aren't very reasonable for most people that are commuting.

And yeah, if you're on a bicycle, please stop at red lights, and at least look before rolling through stop signs.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (11 children)

Modular helmets are less safe than full-face helmets, period, full stop. That's absolutely undeniable. Take a look at the SHARP ratings for the very best modular helmet they rated, the Shoei Neotec 3; "93% Percentage of impacts where the face guard remained fully locked". That means that 7% of the time, in controlled tests, the face guard came unlocked. (BTW, A Shoei Neotec was my first helmet, before I got over my claustrophobia.) That is not something you want to worry about in a crash, especially since real world crashes are not carefully controlled.

There's a reason that you're not going to get away with wearing a modular helmet at a track day; they simply are not as safe as a proper full-face helmet.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I would ask yourself what you think hitting the ground face-first at 30mph would feel like, and then use that when you consider whether you want a full-face helmet or not. :)

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Just remember that ATGATT means helmet, jacket, pants, gloves, and boots, and all of them have to be intended and rated for riding.

Most "riding" jeans are trash, not worth the money you pay; they'll have a little bit of Kevlar lining, and maybe a hint of padding at the knees, but that's not going to help you significantly. Do yourself a solid and get some real riding pants that zip to your jacket, like RevIt!, or Dianese.

Leather costs more up front, and less in the long run. Textile apparel is usually destroyed in a crash, but leather is usually good for multiple drops. I've had four crashes (none hugely significant; partial tear to a rotator cuff on the last one); my jacket and pants look rough, but they're still perfectly fine for protection.

Pants and jacket should fit fairly closely; you don't want them moving around when you crash. Loose is not your friend in a crash. They should have CE1 or CE2 inserts at the knees, hips, coccyx, back, shoulders, and elbows. You may need to buy the inserts separately.

You can get pants and jackets used safely, as long as they're in good condition.

Get gloves with palm sliders. Replace gloves about annually if you put more than 5000 miles on your bike each year; the palms will wear thin, and protect less as they get used. Gauntlets will protect your wrists; I suggest them over shorties. How much are your hands worth to you? Spend that much on gloves. I've burned through multiple pairs of Alpinestars Supertech and Knox Handroid gloves, and I'm currently using Five RFX1; these are daily ride gloves for me. (Supertech gloves are nice, except the palm slider is aramid fabric instead of TPU. Is $500 a lot for gloves? Sure. It's about $15,000 less than reconstructive hand surgery though.)

Boots should protect your ankles; they should have some kind of armored cup there if they're leather.

Do not accept anything less than a full-face helmet. Just, don't. Never, ever, ever buy a used helmet. Never, ever, ever buy a helmet that isn't from a recognized brand, and from a reputable source. (Amazon is not a reputable source.) If a helmet seems too cheap to be true, do not buy it. Helmets are one-crash only; if your head touches the ground, replace the helmet.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago (21 children)

If your helmet doesn’t have a chin bar (full or modular)

Modular helmets will not protect your face adequately in a crash. Even with a chin bar, the face part tends to open up when you hit the ground. If you value your face, get a good full-face helmet. I have an AGV K1; it's good, fairly lightweight, acceptably ventilated, and usually under $200. You don't need to get a Shoei or an Arai; any full-face helmet sold on e.g. Revzilla is going to be fine, as long as it fits.

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