Thanks for all the advice! Right now I'm riding a used Walmart brand 7 speed beach cruiser with a grip twist shifter, and in a very strange turn of events the shifter is falling apart, and I no longer feel the clicks for the gears, and it basically acts like I think a friction shifter would. I've basically got the knack of it. This will also be the first bike I have with drop bars, so I have a lot of things to get used to. Thanks for all the advice, I'll keep you guys updated!