We took back the surplus supplies to Paul Hewitt today. He was fettling a £9,000 Cervelo TT bike, and we had a few words about the event. He'd like to have had a bit more notice to do the job more professionally, but was glad that the local bike shop had got some good trade out of the event.
He doesn't rate the Campag electronic gear, he reckons the Shimano Di2 is a well-sorted mature technology, and that the SRAM setup is good once you've read the instructions thoroughly. Shimano gear cables jam in Campag levers, and Campag cables will work in both, so only having Campag gear cables is the way to go.
On a more general note, I mentioned that a friend had ordered a bike. He was puzzled why they'd specified 10 speed Ultegra. We agreed that there wasn't any real advantage to 11 speed, but Paul knows that it's more and more difficult to get spares support for 'legacy' equipment. It might be useful to advise LEL 2021 riders what the most-supported bike setup would be. Wheels are a prime example, traditional 32 or 36 spoke are always easy to deal with.
Thanks for whoever trued up my wheel at Brampton. I sent a Campag and Shimano spare up. I overpriced them, and my intention was to be phoned-up to save a ride at a discount, but never actually articulated that Heather.. I had to consider if I'd ever see the wheel again, and how much a replacement would cost. I remembered LEL 2003, when I discovered at the last minute that Heather's back wheel was on the way out. Paul Hewitt had a wheel that had been on a Cycling Plus test bike, and we used that. In 2007 we met an Italian chancer called Riccardo Gravina, and we ended up lending him a tent, and then that same back wheel. The freehub never recovered, but that wheel is still true.