Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
… That was nine years ago.
That front shifter is still in use, no longer considered temporary.
I think this is a great solution.
I tried friction shifting on rear bar-ends from 9-speed, but found it a bit clumsy; maybe the short lever, the close cog spacing or both. For front shifting, I find friction a bit smoother, but index is good too. Downtube shifters have shorter cables, so theoretically better.
I read somewhere that Lance used a friction shifter to save weight. I think his definition of Touring in France was a bit different than mine!
