I have put SunTour ratcheting friction barcons on ALL of my road/touring bikes. I've been using them for over 40 years now, and NEVER had a problem with them.

Index shifting? Bah! Too many incompatibilities between brands and number and/or spacing of cogs. Maybe they've become more standardized of late, but the 'problems' with the first systems back in the mid '80s turned me off. Besides, I only have six-speed freewheels on the rear of all of my rides anyway.

Brifters? The bicycle 'fit' I use is not compatible to ride on the hoods, so that whole thing is a non-starter. I ride on the top of the bars, on the 'shoulders' where they start to bend forward, or in the drops - I like to vary my hand position due to road or traffic conditions. I prefer a more stretched-out fit of a 'too-big' frame as opposed to feeling cramped on a smaller frame.

I'll be using my SunTour friction-shift barcons until I die!