Originally Posted by
Garthr
Indexed shifting has become so proprietary that if you bought a "system" 5 years ago, if you break a part
you may have a hard time getting a replacement as Shimano changes things so fast your "old system" is obsolete. So you must use ebay or other means to get parts. Sound like fun? Many people don't mind or care, so to each their own. To me . . .bikes aren't computers and shouldn't be treated as such. Shimano is double edged sword, they make some nice parts, but they often have the attention span of a 5 year old. Thankfully not everyone follows the Leader(Shimano).
It's just my opinion
Yeah, well... Shimano's stuck with the same indexing standard* since Day One, meaning you can mix-and-match parts from different decades and still have it work fine. This differs from SRAM's proprietary indexing, or Campy's multiple versions.
My Bianchi has 7-speed indexing- the Dura-Ace AX hub is from the '80's, the bar-end shift levers are from the '90's, and the Ultegra rear derailleur is from the '00's. All of this works together, even though some of it (the hub) predates Shimano SIS.
Still, friction shifting works for most everything. It'll screw up an internal-gear hub, though.
Jeff
*I'm aware of that pre-9-speed Dura-Ace is incompatible, and that Shimano
front indexing has "road" and "mountain" versions.