Originally Posted by
Andrew R Stewart
The ft der is only important if you want to shift the front with out reaching down with your fingers...
you can also downshift with your foot. I was riding around Lake Ontario and managed to get from Rochester to Lewiston without ever shifting to my small chainring. As I got to the Niagara Escarpment I reailized that by FD wouldn't shift and if I stopped I'd have to push my ~100 pounds of gear up the escarpment so I carefully unclipped my right foot and gently nudged my chain onto the small chainring.