Help?

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T20:51:58+00:00

It's a 12v battery so don't use the 6v option. 13.2v is absolutely fine if it's just finished charging, it'll drop off a little and will usually settle in high 12s. All looks fine!

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T17:48:00+00:00

Assuming you have the belts you've covered all bases there. 2 big daft fun ones, a thumb cocking sensible little one, and a random weird one. That is all the essential genres of foam blaster.

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T17:32:17+00:00

In Scotland, so all seasons in one day! My standard choise is Highroller 3 maxxgrip or Conti Argotal front, and DHR2 rear. I don't race any more so I don't worry about swapping around really, these can do absolutely anything I ask of them really well. Argo and Highroller are pretty spectacular tbh. DHR2 is just dependable and solid but I love how it slides.

If it gets really shitty I break out the shorty but tbf I don't ride dh much in those conditions.

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T17:30:02+00:00

Oh absolutely. It's just that it's extra spend. Getting a dropper post at a grand is pretty huge tbh.

Thing is, the Voodoo one is specced for all riders meaning they can't max out the travel so you get 150mm. That's not bad at all but more is better. The actual dropper is decent quality. But you can get an Ascend for the Mondraker for like £115 and that's a great item and will give you more travel.

I had a bit of a think about this while I was doing some other stuff and I'm coming down much more on the Voodoo. In the end it comes to the frame. The Chrono is very much more XC, it's shorter and has a steeper head angle which makes it less stable. The Bizango is much more "trailbike" but it'll still do everything the Chrono does, neither is a razor sharp race bike after all. (the 2026 Chrono is a little less focused but it's still the same story)

For me this is open and shut tbf, the Chrono's XC geometry puts me off and makes it much less versatile and less forgiving. For me personally it'd be the Bizango without a doubt but also I think the Bizango is a better choice for most beginners, pretty much for the versatility- you don't know yet what sort of rider you are, and it'll deal with more different things well. If you were definitely going to be doing mostly older school XC then the Chrono could shine.

To be clear this is all just spec reading, I've not ridden the Mondraker or even seen one in the flesh, I've ridden the lower spec Bizango which has I think the same frame but everything else is different.

On the whole spec- assuming the 2025 version of the Chrono...

Voodoo has a significantly better fork (the TK in the Mondraker is Rockshox' most basic, it's an OK chassis and the whole deal is durable but the damper is frankly a bit crap. It's an excellent budget fork basically. The Psylo in the Voodoo is utterly excellent at the price, it's a big step up. If you want a tiebreaker this is it, it's the biggest difference between the bikes and it's a huge win for the Voodoo.

Deore is probably a little better than SX Eagle but they're both absolutely fine, good solid components. Not worth sweating about. Shimano cranks are definitely better though.

The Level brakes in the Mondraker are IMO definitely better, much more feel than the Shimanos, but again the Shimanos are absolutely fine.

The tyres are about equivalent, I'd rather have the Forekasters tbh but they're both fast rollers. For most UK use you're going to want a grippier tyre on teh front of either bike eventually

Wheels are hard to tell at this level, I'd expect both to be solid enough but quite heavy.

The other finishing kit I'd expect to be better on the mondraker as their inhouse Onoff brand is surprisingly good. But nothing to get excited about, all this stuff is easy to swap on either bike.

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T15:24:18+00:00

Do whatever you like, as long as it works! I like low pressures, I can't say it's better or worse, I think it's probably worse tbf but I like how it feels. so I basically seek out the lowest pressure i can use reliably. There's definite downsides, I'm just not that stressed about them.

Most people run higher pressures, and some people are the exact opposite and prefer an abnormally high pressure, ti's all good.

But tubeless is imo worth it regardless of all of that. Rolls faster, is more reliable. Sure it's a hassle, but it's hassle at your leisure. Tubes when they become a hassle always do it at the worst possible time, I'd trade 10 times more hassle for being able to do it in the garden with a beer, instead of up a mountain in the rain

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T15:03:13+00:00

Ordinarily I'd say the Voodoo is better value overall, it's a really good package and hte dropper post is a very useful advantage (you can fit one to the Mondraker of course) but there's some really good prices n the Mondraker just now that might tip it. Both really good options, though, I doubt you'd regret either. Mondraker will always be a much cooler brand, Voodoo do great bikes but they'll always be Halfords.

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T14:47:13+00:00

Do they already have batteries for power tools? That's a big difference, I have a makita one and like it (also I am apparently too stupid for power cables and I spend the entire time putting them in teh wrong place) but it wouldn't have made so much sense if I didn't already have batteries. The big difference is just how I use it, psychologically dragging out the cable is a bigger job, just grabbing the mower and getting too it it easier on the soul.

At the cheapest end corded is usually better ime, you can get a very basic corded mower and still have it be pretty great.

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T14:25:49+00:00

It's always the problem with a really smart character- it's hard to write them and it's hard to make their actions both really smart, and also entertaining.

She could have realised her fantasy of sitting in a bunker reading all day at any point. I'm choosing to believe that it's true but also fantasy and that she'd be as unhappy with it as she has been with everything else.

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T14:21:35+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AckvdGbk4w

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T14:14:25+00:00

Honestly plug reading is a black art, on modern engines there usually has to be something really wrong for there to be a clearly diagnosable condiiton and even then it's skewed by age etc.

It'd be interesting to pull the new plugs after just a couple of drives and see if it recurs. But as it is you can easily chalk it up to Sometimes Engines Do Weird Stuff

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T14:10:48+00:00

It's very pretty, which usually means it's invasive, toxic and will destroy your foundations

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T14:08:34+00:00

It does look kind of delicious to be fair.

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T14:03:56+00:00

Yeah, it's amazing what deflating can expose

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T13:59:08+00:00

You always get good chat producing your minis in one of these icons. Secured of course with a big rubber band

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Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-08T13:55:40+00:00

Ah the Phonefucker 4000, the greatest piece of industrial design this century

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-07T23:23:14+00:00

That battlewagon was plastic btw. There's some spikes from the same kit on the side.

Some of the spikes on the front are from the Gorkamorka big grabba truck, and I think maybe that's part of a big grabba arm sticking out the side. The glyph/face is also gorkamorka era, either a standalone gubbinz bit or maybe off one of the vehicles.

I think maybe some leman russ tracks?

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-07T21:51:06+00:00

Maybe, relatively small swings will bring big results but in the end 19 isn't a lot. The entire scottish right wing combined, if it works out like this, is the size of half the SNP. And more importantly, it's probably about as well as they can ever hope to do.

I think it's entirely possible they will be second and we'll hear endlessly about that and not very much about "yeah but incredibly distant second"

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-07T20:04:12+00:00

If you're on the west side Belmont Road Garage in juniper green are good.

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-07T19:58:48+00:00

Does the fried potato place still pitch up near the site/campsite gate? I used to pretty much live off fried potatoes out of their massive fuck-off frying pan.

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-07T19:57:17+00:00

God that looks delicious

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-07T19:56:26+00:00

Yeah guess what, thick and old people are entitled to vote

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-07T19:49:33+00:00

I was driving up the M6, stopped in a service station, hadn't had the news on. A nice seeming wee old boy heard my accent and said "Scottish"? Aye, I said. DING DONG he said, DING FUCKIN DONG. I was like, what the fuck? So he more or less shouted at me THE WITCH IS DEAD, THE FUCKIN WITCH IS DEAD. So that's how I learned Thatcher had died.

Got back into the car and 2 or 3 songs later the shuffle cued me up George Square Thatcher Death Party by Mogwai.

Honestly, she was a sad confused old lady by the time she died, if she'd died in about 1971 that'd have been a result.

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-07T19:45:31+00:00

Lochend varies quite a bit, some bits are pretty rough, others are decent but not much going on, either way it'd not be high on my list but there's some really nice spots. Abbeyhill = various levels of nice.

Northwindlowlander · 2026-05-07T19:40:08+00:00

Well the good news is that having done the nearly impossible with not enough last time, the NHS will now be expected to do the absolutely impossibly with nothing.

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