i went the opposite way and am still getting used to brifters circa 2015. before that I never had them and found myself pawing at my downtube once, twice, then going. $*&^ its brifters stupid! at myself. that said I do prefer indexed rear because you can just "throw" the lever into the right gear in an instant - whatever gear you want - so I shift quite a bit. friction is harder but I only have that on one bike at the moment and probably do shift far less just because of that.

as for riding with no hands, some bikes are squirrelier than others. but you should be able to just let go and the bike go straight - if you are wobbling its actually what you should do- your input on the bars actually can make it worse. I suspect that its not your hand off the bars that makes you wobbly, its the hand that is still on the bars. so try making that hand as loose as possible as you shift.

I'm fairly top heavy and also a bit uncoordinated. I've been doing cyclocross racing for eight years or so and my bike handling has gotten to be decent, but for whatever reason I've never been able to get the hang of hands free riding.

You'll get it, just keep practicing.

My buddy I've roped into doing Eroica with me had never had a bike with gears until 6 weeks ago. At first I thought he was a natural, then he started throwing the chain, now he's got it down and only last night did he have trouble again, but that was due entirely to the fierce crosswind. I also had balance issues going one handed to shift in that wind, but nobody crashed so success. If he can do it, you most certainly can given your love of bikes =)

I'd say the most important thing is to plan ahead and think about what you're setting yourself up to do.

I've ridden a DT shifter bike a few times on some longer rides. I found myself shifting only very slightly less, and that was only because I had fewer gears, not because of the shifter location. When my legs tell me to shift, I shift. Then again, I had indexed DT shifters, so that made it a bit easier.

Well icepick is right. A ramped freewheel will shift smoother. You can buy a Sunrace for almost nothing and they're actually very good freewheels.

Sunrace MFM2A Freewheel 5sp 14-28T

These kinds of posts always make me laugh. Perhaps it's that adults have more difficulty learning new things than kids. When I got my first derailleur bike at 14 (downtube shifters were all that existed then) it took 10 minutes to figure it out. I really don't understand why you're having trouble wobbling when shifting. Perhaps your bike fit is poor. Most people should be able to ride any bike with one hand while reaching for things (water bottle, snacks in jersey pocket, shifters, etc) without any wobble. I'm guessing that this is a very temporary situation and that soon you'll be shifting on automatic pilot like the rest of us.

As far as amount of shifting, I definitely shifted my brifter-equipped Trek (long since sold) more often than my downtube-shifter bikes, I'd say about 50% more. However, that's only because the ratios were closer so more shifting allowed fine-tuning. I shift both levers with either hand, more often the right than the left. If I'm going to shift both front and rear in one gear change I always move both levers with one hand.

As far as shifting more or less. I find that I shift more. Each shift often shifting both the front and back at the same time. It us often where I need to move 2 cogs in the back. The next shift is 1 in the front and only 1 in the back but the back is an opposite of the previous shift. Looking at it in a gear calculator makes it easier to follow the pattern becomes repetitive.

I just use the right hand for both so I can shift them both at the same time

The wobbling was pretty much limited to the first time or two. It was a matter of having no idea where I was reaching and flailing a bit. I'm sure I will get the hang of it. As much as anything I started this thread to laugh at myself.

I really don't remember having this problem as a kid using stem shifters.

With the SunTour, you are actually better off without the HG Shimano FW INO. It shifts just fine. I have DT and HG on one bike and find that it is quite possible to have the chain between cogs and shifting back and forth depending on pedal load. Very disconcerting. With dumb FW teeth, the worst that happens is noise, but at least the gear you picked is the gear you get or it might perhaps do one shift. (Yes, yes, a carefully shifted derailleur never does these things and this points to user error. But as one who has ridden for half a century on DT, friction and is an ex-racer, well I still come into quick road upturns and slam the lever back a bunch and honk my way up. Pretty doesn't always happen. Sorry bikes, you are just tools. Tools I love but still, tools allowing me the freedom to ride.)

Ben

I always keep mine on the big ring in front, and use 2-3 gears on the back ....

Back in the mid 80's My Specialized Expedition had down tube shifters the micro ratchet sort ..

and a plastic -rubber padded cover .. I got used to a quick slap of the lever for a downshift..

But soon enough put Sun tour Bar end friction ratchet levers On took several long Bike tours with that sort of drivetrain..

The skill is looking at the road ahead and figuring our what gear is needed before you are in the middle of really needing it.



Full tooth Un ramped freewheels are really good at staying in the gear you selected , with friction shifting ..

ramped ones are tending to change the gear in a surprise situation. which may not be at the right time.

It's largely what you are used to ..

What you need to learn to do, is to shift gently and smoothly without looking down. Do not look down. Keep your eyes on the road ahead of you. Also, make absolutely certain the the high and low limiter screws on both your front and rear derailleurs are adjusted properly. If not, your chain could could go into your spokes and sever one or two, or you could throw a chain.
Downtube shifters are a blast, and you don't need more gears than 2x6. Make sure they're clean, adjusted and lubricated.

I grew up with DT friction shifters. It's just practice. You'll get there. Make sure you aren't putting a lot of weight on your hands when you reach for the levers.
Like someone above mentioned, a benefit is that you can adjust it and not have the chatter. My mountain bike was my first experience with indexed and the chatter was something I had to get used to. It's hard for me to tell if my shifting habits change between the two types as my mountain bike has more gears than my road bike and is a different type of riding. I just go by feel. If I need the gear, I switch to it.

I find when I'm riding my downtube shifted bikes that I rarely ever shift. Now when I'm on my only two bikes with Ergo/Double Tap shifters I'm clicking through the gears like crazy. I came into road cycling in early 2000's so my first road bike had 105 STI shifters but can friction shift like I was throughbred curmudgeon even on gravel.

Cringe alert ! When i was younger and stupider, I liked to stay in the big ring of my 2x6 and only use the rear. We were either full throttle or stopped at that age so from a start the right would be wide open (inside cog) we'd spin up to go then just slam the right lever shut, stand up and haul.

Good times. Now I'm all...what's this standing business?

I've never had that issue. I don't see how ramps can make a chain move to another cog on it's own when you're just pedaling.

Nice looking bike and it's well equipped, congrats.

Barcon shifters allow the cyclist to keep their hands on the drops while shifting. Suntour Barcons have a precise feel with a sublte granularity that is gratifying to use.



I like half step gearing when using a 2x6 drivetrain. For example: when using a 13, 15, 17, 21, 24, 28 freewheel, I'll use a 46 & 42 chainring set. I can shift the bike in full steps, using just the rear derailleur, or I can fine tune the cadence by shifting with the front derailleur from the 42 chainring to the 46 chainring. This is the classic half step gearset. It takes a while to learn to upshift and downshift in half step increments. 50% of the shifts involve shifting both the front and rear derailleurs to complete a half-step gearchange.

It's all part of the fun.

Yep, sounds like he just needs to tighten the lever screw a smidge. (?) OP, I'm with ya, on thinking old Suntour freewheels are cool. Since I have a 6-speed Suntour Perfect on mine, I recently ordered a NOS pair of alpha3000 accushift thumbies, to see how that goes. I've been using DT Power shifters, for a couple weeks off & on as weather permits, and it's not bad, but I often think I might be the guy who actually does stick his fingers in the spokes.

Well, [MENTION=111144]Andy_K[/MENTION], you've given me an appreciation for the skill I have which I use without thinking. Some of it is muscle memory. I can reach and grab the shifter without looking, and my hand reaches the right distance. Think about how a trombone player has to do that. If he's a little bit off, the pitch will be wrong, but it doesn't happen often.

Yes, you shift less often, for the two reasons you cite. There are some situations that are unsafe for moving your hand that far, and even if you manage to grab the lever, using it properly (over a bumpy surface while inconsiderate car drivers bear down on you) is tricky. And since the gears are farther apart, there are fewer occasions when you'll want to shift.

That sounds pretty cool. I've got 53-42 rings on my crankset and a 14-30 freewheel. With a 14T smallest cog, I might sometime have a reason to want a 53T chainring, but most of the time I could probably do without it.

After a while, it becomes muscle memory so that you can shift without looking and find the next gear with hardly any noise. I have had my Miyata for so long that I don't even have to think about shifts anymore. I just move the lever a few degrees and it drops into the next gear. Similar to how my son plays the trombone. He just knows how far to move the slide for each note.

Nice looking bike! I have a very similar Trek that I set up with a 9 speed drivetrain and Shimano bar ends. (it's also nice to see that the clamp-on shifter band found a nice home)!

A 14-30 freewheel with a 46 & 42 chainring provides tight half-step increments from 10 to 26 mph. This works well on a vintage sports touring bike, where moderate speed is part of the fun.

Use this gear calculator to review your gearing options: https://home.earthlink.net/~mike.sherman/shift.html

When I'm riding with DT shifters, I just shift less often. My other bikes have Command Shifters and Barcons- I shift more often with the Command Shifters, just because they're right there. I shift a little less often with the Barcons.

You sort of get used to trimming the derailleurs- I also look at the gears often enough.

You've got a great bike [MENTION=111144]Andy_K[/MENTION]. Some may think you need some changes to your setup- I don't think you do until you're ready to branch out into something as equally classically awesome as what you've got going on here. I'm really excited and happy for you!

Best!

I remember once reading Ken Kifer's advice, "If you want even the nerds to consider you a nerd, try getting enthusiastic about bicycle gearing."

I'm all for it!