re the models
you said short pull for road brakes I guess (cantis are short pull, v brakes are long pull, disc depends on models)
make sure about the rd details , dynasis or not or whatever
I got indexed, I haven't ridden a rd friction bike since probably the 70s, and all of my indexed bikes, including my old dt shifter touring bike, have always always just plain worked (assuming all the basics are covered, shifters cables housings ) and the Gevenalles have shifted perfectly fine. The only hiccup I had was my own fault-I installed a cheap inline barrel adjuster that kept coming out of adjustment. My rd doesnt have a barrel adjuster on it, a 9 spd era XTR, so I had to put one somewhere--I just screwed up and didnt put the right thing on. Once I corrected that, the shifters and rd work perfectly fine together.
all that to say, I don't really get the friction thing--oh, dont forget, these shifters do have a little tab thingee so that you can switch it to friction if you want---remember, these were made for cyclocross racing, where MUCHO MUD can be a real issue with buildup and screwing up shifting, and / or a crash or whatever where a rd could get bent or something.
Also, for racers, they provide an inexpensive rebuild policy, like 30 bucks or something, if you manage to eff them up somehow.
and yes, the fd friction function works like a charm, just like a dt bike, or bar end shifters. A really nice change from sti and the KATHUNK downshifts with chainrings. There is a really nice, peaceful, super quiet thing with friction fd shifting, and again, for touring its perfectly fine ( imo )
oh, and the ability to downshift a whole shedload of gears at the back with one large sweep is actually useful sometimes with a loaded bike.