I find beauty in pragmatism, performance for the value.
Friction: Suntour Sprint/LePree
Indexed: Shimano 6400 8-sp era, with the dual pivot calipers
STI/Ergo: 8-sp Chorus/Athena Ergo. Simple, smooth, dependable.
(take the shifters away, and I like 9-sp Ultegra-strong like a bull-but the shifters look like the Alien busting out of the bar)