Originally Posted by
pierce
friction shifters are a pain in the a-- with 8 or more gears in back, way too fidgety.
the sprocket spacing for 8- and 7-speeds (with Shimano, at least) is virtually the same, and I've been using friction shifting with a 7-speed cassette on my current main bike for a while. The same bike also had an 8-speed one for a while. I never had any problem shifting either setup....