Originally Posted by
rccardr
Take a look at Gevenalle setups. Indexed rear, friction front, everything up top with the brake lever hoods.
Dom’t use them myself, but it sure would solve your problem and the friends who have them like ‘em a lot.
Can you elaborate a little more on how this would work if I went this route? Would I get ahold of their "AX" or AUDAX integrated shifters and then attach a set of bar-end or down-tube levers for the indexed rear and then some other lever for the front? Are there particular bar-end/down-tube levers that do and do not work with the Deore XT rear derailleur?