Any question answered...

What do people recommend for permanent markers that are actually permanent for shiny things like metal, plastic, etc Most seem to rub off pretty quickly.

Drive on the left, rh front brake. Drive on the right, LH front. Pretty standard around the world. Something to do with braking and signalling when turning across the lane.

Yes. When turning across oncoming traffic you want the hand remaining on the bars to operate the rear brake.

If it was the front brake then any panic braking could cause a topple with the rider usually falling into moving traffic.

So levers are swapped for countries that ride/drive on the other side of the road.

That logic doesn't mean they should swap round the gears as well...

I just checked my road bike:

Left hand - rear brake, front derailleur
Right hand - front brake, rear derailleur

From reading what you wrote this is 'wrong'? This is my first road bike so I have no idea.

There is no right or wrong if you ask me, just tradition/personal preference. If you live in Britain, your bike is cabled like the rest of the bikes, so no need to worry.

I was wondering about the brake set up just the other day. Why is it that we have right-front in the uk and Ireland? Is it to do with braking while signalling?

Are there any Italian speakers who could construct an innuendo-laden pun on 'Campagnolo' for me?

I know it means something like 'countryman' so maybe something along the lines of "once you've ridden a countryman, nothing else will do" would be ideal.

This little object is for mounting DT levers to time trial extensions somehow. What do I Google to find pictures? Because apart from the lever bosses, none of it makes sense.

2 Attachments

It's for the old U-shaped extensions.

They have a hole in the centre of the U which the mounting screw goes through, so the cable stops are nearest you.

I don't know what the thread at the back is for, nor the other screw, but I expect Tstr does.

It looks like as @Scilly.Suffolk says, with the outers exiting that mount forwards using those solid cylindrical bits as cable stops.

Looks like a slightly more elaborate version of the Profile Swiftshift.

As Scilly says, they fit U-bend tribars like Profile Aero II which came pre-drilled for the Swiftshift

OK - I actually had a poke about. The top screw and "headless" screw are grub screws to hold the cable stop and boss "throughpieces" still (for whatever reason). Looks like a similar product to the Profile Design SwiftShift. Thanks for the pointers.

Is there an echo in here?

That's your Summer look sorted!

I think it fits on like this, similar to the Profile SwiftShift.

Ha, thanks everyone. Turns out it's a very simialr design to the Profile SwiftShift

Link to pic

But seriously, what I was curious about was the type of boss cover required. I came with the wavy type like on the above pics, but I think it should have the flat type. Anyway, I don't really care because I got it in an eBay purchase aaaaages ago and I'm never gonna use it.

I want a good quality enclosed cam qr for my seat. Actually I want 2.

I've bought 1 used Avenir and 1 new Vavert one and they are both a bit sub-par. The Avenir is worn and the Vavert is poorly made. Neither of them work anything like as nicely as a Shimano wheel skewer.

I'm thinking I could take a Shimano wheel skewer and cut it down and tap thread on it.

Google tells me that skewer threads are normally rolled rather than cut but I'm not sure whether that's for a functional reason or for ease/cost of manufacture.

Should I just buy a tap and go for it or is there some reason this just isn't gong to work?

Post it on hacks/bodges if you do. I might like to do the same

rolled rather than cut

For strongth!

Have some quando fixed hubs on my beater that really need servicing, however the cog has been fixed in place with loctite as the threads on the hub were fucked save the last couple closest to spokes.

I really dont want to try and remove it as I think that would be the end of the threads accepting a cog and I remember it was a real PINTA to get it on originally due to the start of the thread being knackered.

It was a quick fix to get me rolling again that has held up really well for a couple of years but will LBS be able to properly service the hub with the cog in situ?

Sorry if this a dumb question but I'm a newb to this cup and cone malarkey...

Yes, they should be able to get at the axle/bearings/cones to service it. But the question should be, why would you want to pay money for somebody to service one area of a part that is pretty much fucked in another area? The cost of the service will likely be more than the cost of a new hub.

Try it yourself. Cup and cone is not rocket surgery. If you fuck it up, you needed a new hub anyway.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cone-adjustment.html

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/hubs.html

will LBS be able to properly service the hub with the cog in situ?

Yes, but on the other hand they are Quando and the sprocket thread is already fucked. Maybe now is the the time to consider upgrading to Novatec/Formula/KT hubs with cartridge bearings, because you may find that when your Quandos are apart the cones are pitted and new ones cost as much as hubs, or worse the cups are pitted and the hub is scrap. If you were doing it yourself, it might be worth trying to get another year out of the Quandos, but if you're paying somebody else then you're throwing good money after bad.

From my limited research, Uni (sometimes appears as Uni-Ball) PAINT markers.

I avoided the same company's POSCA markers, assuming that as they are water-based they would be both less toxic and less effective.

I've used to cover up extraneous etched labels on components. Won't survive bike wash detergent or a good scrub though.

There must be a forum consensus!

Thanks both, I'm just being lazy with the LBS route...

Will probably borrow a set of cone spanners from a mate and assess the damage myself, just wanted to know whether or not it was possible before I start fiddling!

Cheers, I've ordered one and will see how it goes.