Thinkin' about that brings back some memories of that '76 R90/6, the 6 gallon fuel tank, red, good set of Metzlers on the rims . . . . . . 30 years ago now. Had that one for the long haul, and a brand new '79 T140E Bonneville for local bar hoppin' and raising hell.

Getting back to friction shifters: Now, at the risk of sticking a jarring note into this lovefest, I do have to admit that, after 28 years out of cycling, and a massive re-education in less than a year once I got back; that brifters are about the only bit of modern technology that I actually consider a significant improvement over their 30 year old predecessors. Just about everything else, for a dedicated non-racer like me, is marginal improvement.

Just the same, thinking about what's currently hanging in the garage: 4 bikes with friction, either downtube or bar end; 1 indexed downtube, 3 brifters, 1 handlebar trigger (mtb), 2 indexed handlebar (both mtb), 1 single speed. Yeah, that about says it all . . . . . . . . . and the next 2-3 projects are either friction or downtube indexed. And given their non-repairability, there's no way I'll use brifters on a long-haul bagger.