I didn’t get to work on the Wildcat on Sunday as the Stamner Ride and subsequent bike cleaning took longer than expected.

So I’ve spent a couple of hours on it a few nights this week. I’ve now:

• Fully replaced the brakes – arms, levers, cables
• Removed the panniers (although the thread was ‘screwed’ on one of the bolts so I ended up snapping the head off, once I’d extracted it sufficiently using my new mole grips.. need to file it down now)
• Indexed the gears (well, the rears, anyway.. the fronts are friction shift

Still on the list:

• Buy and fit new chain
• Remove the struts for the panniers – these are about four inches long, and have the stuck screw problem that I’ve experienced all over the bike, despite a liberal soaking with GT85. 
• New gear inners and outers
• Strip and refurb the pedals
• Final PDI
• Road test

Cost so far is:

• Bike – £20
• Brakes – £8 (EBay)
• Cider vinegar – £4

The cost of tools I’ve purchased in the course of this aren’t included, since I’ll be using those hopefully for many years to come.

New brake components:

• Bike Mechanics
• Raleigh Wildcat