Remind me, what was wrong with friction lever gears.

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contadino

Veteran
Location
Chesterfield
I've never had a road bike with indexed gears so can't compare. However I can change gear swiftly and without looking down, I know which gear I'm in without looking down, and I don't really have issues making changes whilst climbing.

Some changes need trimming if there's rub somewhere. You should be able to feel it rather than hear it.

However when I change front and back at the same time with one hand and land in the sweet spot, that's a lovely feeling. Rare though it is.

I'm sure I'll end up getting a bike with brifters at some point, but for now I love non-indexed DT shifters.

I imagine brifters give competitive cyclists an edge, but that's not me.
 

Bollo

Failed Tech Bro
Location
Winch
I heart my Di2 to the point where my wrists hurt when I use brifters. I am a flower.

(The sprint shifters are like heated seats in cars. You don't think you're bothered until you have them, but then you'll never do without.)
 
Location
Loch side.
My comment was an ironic nod to the thread title, really. That said, I do quite like the idea of the bicycle as an entirely mechanical entity. There's something quite satisfyingly pure about it. Of course that's just my preference and my attitude; there's nothing "wrong" with electronic shifting and I'm sure we'll see more and more of it as the technology progresses and becomes cheaper until your "average consumer" can afford it just as well as those who fancy themselves racers.
.

I know, I know....I'm just trying to be "with it" for once in my life. I've always wanted to be a "early adopter" and now, at least on paper, I can be one. Now where did I put that battery charger adapter plug thingy?
 

deptfordmarmoset

Full time tea drinker
Location
Armonmy Way
I've never raced and somehow think I never will but I've got a newish tourer with bar-end shifters and, though it arrived perfectly indexed, when the cables stretched a little, I thought I'd try using them as friction shifters for a couple of miles. About 3,700 miles later, I still haven't got round to retuning it. A clean shift is my good shift, a clunky slippy chain is my bad shift, and, no, changing gear standing is difficult enough indexed or not. If the flappy paddles on my SRAM bike gave me the option to use it like a friction shifter on the lighter bike, I'd choose it.

Mind, I grew up on bikes before indexing was even a glint in its chainring's eye.
 

Brightski

Chronos Racing Team
Location
Cambridgeshire
Yesterday, I spent the day on a road bike with friction lever gears, and they worked perfectly. These are the gears I used for years and years in the 1980's with few problems, I enjoy the new(ish) style gear lever on the brakes, but please remind me, what was the problem with friction lever gears.
I still use friction on my tri bar shifters on my TT bike, I can stick any wheels in it with out having to fart around with gears..
I use shimano on TT bike but can use campag as well :smile:
 

deptfordmarmoset

Full time tea drinker
Location
Armonmy Way
I understand that the LH is always friction and the RH can be set as either for both the DA 9 and 10 speed.
My RH one is indexed and allied to a DA mech is peachy smooth.

I like the simplicity.
That's the Shimano (Deore XT) arrangement that I have on a bike I've never bothered to reindex after cables stretched a wee bit.
 
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