Another exciting update..
On balance the drawbacks of using the Fuji for the commute appear fewer / less impactful than those of the Brompton, so that's been tucked away (pending appeasment of the seemingly perpetual list of jobs it needs) and the Touring pressed into service for daily duties.
Since work on the CdF unfortunately remains "ongoing" I have no leisure bike so pretty much every ride is astride the Touring; around 650 miles per month currently driving up the mileage at an unprecedented rate - the bike currently having covered around 3400 miles since it came into my ownership nearly three years ago
It needs a good wash and the ghost shifting issue persists, however little niggles / situations of my own making aside it's generally been very well behaved.
Recently an increasingly irritating clicking corresponding with the DS pedal stroke was confirmed as the result of my inability to tighten the pedals sufficiently; the DS item especially coming off pretty easily and leaving behind an area of galling on the register face of the crank
Not the end of the world as it's a utility hack and the crank was a little tatty anyway, but irritating all the same and a reminder of the value of pedal washers (and correctly torqueing pedals - although this is easier said than done if they only have spanner flats).
Pertinant areas were cleaned and the pedals refitted with some of my lovely 10p Ali Express washers; making sure to get the side of the washer with the radiussed edges facing the spot face in the crank to avoid further damage.
While I was at it the toe cages were removed as they're a bit of a pain in stop-start traffic; oddly revealing themselves to have been butchered to fit the pedals despite everything involved apparently being original-fitment.
The absence of the cages has been interesting from the perspective of seeing where my feet go on the pedals when unconstrained (spoiler: wide and wonky).
Binning the cages has proven a bit of a double-edged sword; no more feverishly pawing at the back of the weak-side pedal when pulling away however in the wet the grip afforded by the single well-worn side of the cheap ally pedals and their now-heavily-polished integral upstands is misery to say the least..
I don't really want to replace the pedals - especially as it still stings that I didn't pick up multiple sets of the excellent Nukeproof Neutrons I now have on the Ragley for a tenner while the opportunity presented itself. Depending on how enthusiastic I'm feeling I might drill and tap both sides for socket grub screws as this seems to be how most manufacturers now approach grip provision on their pedals; bringing the added bonuses of adjustability and replaceability..
In other news despite its battle damage and humble provenance it continues to get a steady stream of compliments - most recently from a cycle-positive mate at the pub, my neighbour and the chap on the tow path I've chatted to a few times - majestic bastard that it is!