Originally Posted by
m_yates
I switched to friction shifting bar ends after breaking one of my Tiagra STI levers and discovering how much it costs to replace. That was more than 3000 miles ago and I haven't had to adjust anything.
I have a 9 speed drive train and friction shifting the rear is a little touchy, especially in the middle gears. After some practice, it isn't a big deal finding the right gear, though.
You might try an SRAM rear derailleur to decrease thew shifting sensitivity. The current ones have a different ratio than Shimano derailleurs, requiring more cable be pulled for each shift. Just make sure that your rear derailleur friction shifter can pull enough cable.
Even on an indexed setup I would expect the SRAM derailleur and shifter to hold adjustment better due to the different ratio making it less affected by cable stretch or casing compression.
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Gear Hubs Owned: Rohloff disc brake, SRAM iM9 disc brake, SRAM P5 freewheel, Sachs Torpedo 3 speed freewheel, NuVinci CVT, Shimano Alfine SG S-501, Sturmey Archer S5-2 Alloy. Other: 83 Colnago Super Record, Univega Via De Oro
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