Here’s the main damage sustained by my Enigma Occlusion during the Tour of Wessex, following a fall occasioned by the genius at the front of the lineout deciding to apply his brakes without warning while travelling along a straight road without a hazard in sight.

The front Shimano Dura-Ace tubeless wheel hit a pedal or something similar, bending a spoke and putting it so far out of true it could not be ridden; the bar tape got cut.

The most severe damage, however, was sustained by the left-hand SRAM RED dual-control lever, which took most of the impact with the ground. Because the brake lever only pivots in one plane, it could not deflect away from the angle of impact and sheared off the pivot lug on the outside.

On initial inspection, the lever was ripped clean out of the perch and pointing upwards, being held in place only by the brake lever. Incredibly, it only took a quick twist back into place to get the brake working at least adequately, since pulling on the lever pressed the pivot pin back into the perch.

The gear lever continued to work perfectly, pivoting as it does at a point well inside the perch. The right-hand lever suffered only cosmetic damage.

The conclusion? Since crashing invariably damages expensive components, it is worth remembering that today’s super-light parts are vulnerable to breakage when deciding which equipment level to go for. It is one thing to buy an expensive group, but another to have to replace it. And, don’t forget, a legal precedent was set a while ago to the effect that following riders in a bunch are in the same position as a following driver in the event of a collision; liable.