I appeal to the collective hive mind here! I just had a bike powdercoated, and the suntour friction bar ends feel terrible when I built it back up. Takes a LOT of force to pull the cable. It's not the housing, it's not the shifters, it's not the routing. I've checked it over thoroughly. My current theory is that the powdercoat under the brazed-on cable guides is either slightly gummy or I need to 'wear it down' a bit, and wear down a clean channel? My LBS guy suggested I ride it and shift it, and it would get better.
Perusing eBay tonight I ran across this image:
I've never seen such a thing. Anyone know what it is called, or where to get one? Looks like it might be worth a try in my current situation. The photo above is from a 1989 MB-1.
Thanks!