Originally Posted by
Vegeta
On my bike I have the gear shifter (1-7) on the right hand and the friction shifter on the left hand without the number being displayed. It came with the friction on max and after tweaking with it that seemed like the proper position. When I go for speed I use the fifth gear, it's rather hard, my knees hurt later (I understand keeping my saddle low has something to do with it but I prefer it that way) but I'm getting accustomed to it. I tried the seventh gear, it was too hard but I suppose I'll get better eventually. So what exactly is the friction shifter for?
The front shifter is "friction" (in other words not indexed, it doesn't have click stops) because sometimes you need to adjust it (AKA "trim") when you shift the rear derailleur. Sometimes shifting the rear derailleur will cause the chainline to be angled and the front derailleur will rub on the chain, in which case you
trim the front derailleur to stop it from rubbing on the chain. If the front shifter had click-stops you wouldn't be able to do this.