Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
I was happy riding my old steel bike with downtube shifters . . . until I got behind a guy with brifters. I could keep up with him fine as long as the gradient didn't change. But if I had to shift, I'd drop behind a bit, partly because my gears were further apart than his were, partly because I had to take one hand off the bars.
That's where I part ways with some of y'all. I can't remember an instance where I worried about catching or keeping up with another rider. I've never ridden competitively, even informally. I did one charity ride, decades ago, but I was just participating, not competing.