Originally Posted by
The Golden Boy
When I got back into bicycling, the bikes I've had access to have all been indexed. And I've used them as indexed. Because that's the way it should be.
Last month I got a bike with friction shifters... I thought I'd have to "upgrade" to indexed shifters, rather than working with that old caveman friction thing... to my surprise- I kind of liked it. The other day, I turned the indexing off on my other bike, and I liked it as well...
So what is the industry changing advantage of indexing?....
Well, a lot of people out there are still suffer from DAS (Derailleur Anxiety Syndrome). They break into a nervous, cold sweat when confronted with derailleurs. They don't understand them. They don't want to. Don't believe me? Look at all the fixie/SS conversions taking place. Look at all the old derailleur equipped bicycles that have a worn out small cog and all the other cogs have zero wear.
Friction shifting is the equivalent of driving a standard transmission automobile. Most people can do it, but they're intimidated and won't even learn. Indexed shifting is the equivalent of a an automatic transmission. It's easier for novices and those who don't want to have to think about what they're doing.