I've taken a bit of a plunge. More like a toe-dip in the water. I bought a new Shimano C S-HG41 8 speed cassette (11-34t) with a Clarks 7, 8 chain. I found an 8 speed STX shifter and Acera mech in my bike shed. I'm going to pop them all together and see how I get on. Combined with a new pair of grips (as the old ones are naff and won't fit with the new shifter).
I also bought some white outer cables for the brakes and gears. And a new inner cable for the gears. The brake cables look in good nick and I believe they were changed recently. They're currently swapped so the right side is the front brake, but I bought it from a Polish guy and he said that's how they do things over there.
Assuming they all come before I go on holiday this weekend, I'll get cracking.
Total Price: £33.90 Delivered(/Click & Collected)
I also have a new handlebar post on the way, which is a bit of a gamble as it's for a B'Twin fold, but it has the same stem type. If it fits, then that should fix my handlebar issue where the hinge is at such a terrible angle that the handlebars don't sit flush with the tyre at all (see plagiarised image below).