Bar end or thumb shifters?

[DaveyA]

To be honest I can ride all day and only use a couple of different gears, I'm not one for constantly changing gear. Rode a single speed for a good few months and never found it a problem. So friction would work for me, way back when I first started cycling, downtube friction levers were all there was and we all managed. Might be nice to give it a try again.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I find the downtube levers to be more immediate in operation, as you don't have to pull as much cable to operate your derailleurs. Once you get used to them, just as easy to use as bar ends. But get those Suntour Power Shifters on to something. They can be great shifters as well. Tourers used to use bar ends a lot, but because they were easy to shift on a loaded bicycle where you may have no wish to take your hands off the bars at lower speed.