Originally Posted by
custermustache
I don't like downtube shifters, never have. I like this frame, and want modernize the running gear. I already have an old 10 speed - I also have a modern bike that I don't care to ride because I don't like the frame.
If I could afford a new bike, I would - but they seem awfully overpriced, especially when I already have a nice frame that I like and can hang this stuff on.
There are a lot of possibilities for indexing, even if you decide to not bend the frame. My wife's bike indexes with Shimano 6 speed shifters and a 6 speed freewheel. Mine indexes with 8 speed shifters and a 7 speed freewheel. Hers was easy. Mine was hard.
I like downtube shifting, but I do agree that the drive train on old ten speeds sucks. It sucked when I was a kid, and it sucks now. This new stuff works as nice as my trusty old 3 speeds work. Even with downtube shifters, my bike shifts like a dream.