Rikki Pankhurst and the YMTF

Rikki Pankhurst is an extraordinary chap. There simply isn't anything he doesn't know about bicycles: even children's bikes from the 1970s such as the Raleigh Chopper. Rikki can tell you in arresting detail the differences between things on the Mark 1 and the Mark 2 that the average person - even the average cyclist - wouldn't understand. It was Rikki who had brought the Ventoux-smashing red Mark 2 to the zenith of its capabilities, enabling me to wrestle it to the zenith of Mont Ventoux with minimal resistance in May earlier this year. In short, if you want to do something on a bike, you want Rikki in your team.
Upon riding the newly acquired yellow Mark 1 Tall Frame (to which I shall hereafter refer as "YMTF") only a few hundred yards, it was very clear that its trusty three-speed Sturmey Archer hub had long since become a rusty one-speed Sturmey Archer hub. Keen to experience the YMTF in its most glorious of conditions, once again, I called upon the services of Rikki.
In precisely 24 hours, he had: rebuilt the Sturmey Archer hub; trued both wheels; straightened the bent handlebar stem; serviced the bottom bracket and headset; cleaned and greased all the cables; replaced the brake blocks and front brake cable with an original Mark 1 cable I had found; and replaced the failing cotter pins with original Raleigh branded pins.

Having returned the bike - yes, he picked it up from my house and brought it back - Rikki advised me that more work would be necessary to optimise the machine, in particular the replacement of the front wheel which, although very old, was not original and the hub of which had completely failed. The YMTF also needed a new chain and the rear wheel needed rebuilding. Strangely, the lacing of the spokes was not as per the factory set up. The structure of the back wheel was so chaotic it was almost impossible to fit a pump to the valve because it was obstructed by spokes splaying out at absurd angles.
Rikki also advised that the pedals, although original, were the type with no bearings, relying entirely on grease for movement. He said he had been considering a few enhancements that would gain valuable yards during The Hour. That's the sort of thing Rikki does. It doesn't seem to matter how absurd the requirements of his client; and mine are certainly absurd, Rikki treats them with a deadly gravity and certainly far more than is warranted. I'm keen to maintain a completely original bike with authentic configuration, however. I expect, therefore, we'll have some intricate discussions, some of them bordering on the philosophical.