Originally Posted by
blamester
...,but with 9spd will the throw on the lever be too small for each gear and trimming too delicate for comfort.
...
I went from 7 through 9 speed with "good" friction thumb shifters.
In my case, my shifting got more precise due to the ergodynamics of my particular thumb and shifter locations.
With 7, I pushed and than had to push more. 8 speed I'd push and then push a bit more. On 9, I hit the gear about 95% with just the push.
Then I got a 2nd bike with good index shifting and my friction shifting got ridiculously bad.
I put identical index shifters on the 1st bike so I didn't have to remember how to shift each time I climbed on the "other" bike.