I know that on my Surly 1x1 fork, the lettering goes down the tube, so that it can be read by somebody approaching me--as opposed to going backwards up the tube so that I can read it while hunched over the bars. Feng Shui dictates that the hub should then be facing outward, also, inviting the world to your rig. Along the same line, if you have a baseball card in the front left-side spokes, there should be a corresponding card in the right-side rear spokes. Just remember, NL up front, AL in back, and no catchers.