Back in late May I fell off on stage two of the Tour of Wessex, wrecking the left-hand SRAM RED Double Tap lever and scratching the tip of its pair.

The left-hander needed replacement but, while the damage to the right-hand lever was merely cosmetic, it nonetheless detracted from the overall appearance of the otherwise once-again pristine Enigma Occlusion. Time to get out the 600 grade wet and dry paper, wet it, smooth down the abraded surface of the carbon-fibre lever, allow it to dry and then…?

A quick trip to a local budget shop sourced a small bottle of clear nail varnish for well short of a pound. Quick to apply with the brush inside, quick to dry… job done. Except for trimming the scuffed head of the perch, which, being some sort of fibre-reinforced plastic, is best not rubbed with the wet and dry paper. OK, close inspection easily detects the repair, but it looks fine from a few steps away and, as everyone knows, a race (or sportive ) bike looks better for a few scars…