Originally Posted by
Airburst
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....
my last hybrid had friction thumb shifters with a newer shimano or sram 7-speed cassette... maybe it was the hyperglide ramps or something, but I found the gears very fidget-prone. i have used similar thumb shifters for /years/ with older bikes, and downtube shifters before that with straight teeth without a problem. I'm pretty sure I've had all these combinations: 2x5, 3x5, 3x7, 1x5, 1x7 on various bikes...
my new hybrid has SiS 3x8 shifting with trigger shifters, and I'm loving it. gear selection is crisp and positive, once I got the SiS dialed in, shifting is nearly instantaneous, even under moderate load.