Originally Posted by
Marc40a
Though, he might be dealing with downtube shifters at that price range but I'd rather reliable downtubes than a dodgy brifter ($$$). Bar ends would be ideal.
The downtube shifters (along with the original derailleurs) are about the only thing still original on my '89 Voyageur, by preference. Neat thing is friction shifters and the derailleurs attached to 'em work as well with nine speeds as they do with seven, better actually (much to my surprise) as there appears to be less space to fumble the chain between adjacent cogs. The other good thing is they don't require adjusting as often, on account of you manually "adjust" them anyway every time you shift.
Mike