Originally Posted by
matimeo
But is the effort it takes to put the bike up on the stand, spin the pedals and go through the gears giving a slight turn to the barrel adjuster as needed really that big of a deal? I still prefer the "hassle" over friction.
I agree with this. Literally takes just a couple of minutes to adjust an index shifting system, and it does not need to be done that often. I go thousands of miles between adjustments on my bicycles.
If you have an index system that shifts inconsistently and you can never seem to get it adjusted, you probably have a bent derailuer hanger.