Hi Crew,
I will chime in before this thread gets shut down. I know the seller.
He spent time in Europe as a professional rider and has run a
prominent bike shop in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland Australia.
He has collected over the years some very tasty goods that he has
displayed in glass cases in his bike shop and knows his stuff. I have
only ever had honest and straightforward dealings with him in the past.
The Cobalto 'stones' are just plastic cabochon shaped items that I
have only ever seen in blue. These are almost impossible to procure
as they simply are not available in that smooth dome shape
anywhere...craft shops...bead shops...I have tried. These can easily
pop out under any riding conditions and are frequently missing. You
can find faceted ones that fit, but they are not the same and can be
spotted a mile away as being non-original.
To think that red ones can easily be sourced and substituted as part
of a scam, and then have similar smaller 'jewels' placed into SR
levers is an almighty stretch of the imagination. If you have ever
removed one of these, you will see a small ridge where the 'stone'
clips into the recessed brake nut. They are very special items and
cannot be replaced with dodgy beads.
From my position, and I have no benefit at all from this sale, what
has been described is legit and truthful.
A very desirable set and one that you wouldnt want one of those red
'stones' to fall onto the lawn.
Greg Softley
Australia