Nonsense. Housings can always get dirt in them, is likely the single biggest reason for deteriorating shifting performance, mt. bikes more than road, but it happens to both. Its usually the first thing recommended as a fix when a newbie on here complains about poor shifting performance. Mechanical is also a slow process, you don't realize sometimes that your shifting sucks as it happens slowly over time. Then you switch housing and cables and are like "I should have done that a while ago".

Quality housings have rubber pieces that prevent dirt ingress where the cable exits the outer.

Apart from this, lots of mountain bikes use a one piece outer from the shifter to the RD, which also helps.

Then there's the big mistake done people make: lubing the cables. That only attracts dirt and is totally useless when using quality cables and outers.

Electronics do have their place, just not on a bicycle.

Nobody is saying that.

But are you honestly going to say there were not two generations of Shimano shifters that did not chew up cables in 4-5,000 miles?

Or that new cables, housings, and ferrules do not require time to seat and/or stretch? After which one has to adjust.

Or that barrel adjusters aren't pretty much standard equipment, why is that

I think what I hear is electronic is set and forget. I have never had a mechanical shifter setup that was set and forget unless I go back to my 70's downtube campy friction levers.

You can make that argument about almost every development in bicycles in the last 100 years, but that doesn't mean those developments don't offer advantages.

Did you not read the part I wrote about “once properly adjusted?” I use downtube shifters and have never once worried about frayed cables, gummed up cables, or any additional adjustments once properly set.

I’d much rather have my Seiko automatic than any digital watch.

I have always used mechanical shifting even the 1992 Altus c10 Transmission on my Giant Tourer works like a swiss watch, same with my 1991 raleigh with its campy record synchro II 7speed down tube shifters to be upgraded and even my 1992 Peugeot with its sl 7700 dura ace 9 speed shifters to be upgraded . Even with the fully XT780-T transmission on my mountain bikes ,it shifts amazingly fast. I have tested the mavic mektronic and the ZMS but wasn't convinced back then. Quality cabling is a mandatory with mechanical derailleurs

The above belongs in the vintage forum. No one here cares.

If they're friction shifters, aren't you essentially adjusting them every time you shift?

Not everyone likes electronic shifting Dave whether it is from SRAM or Shimano. What do you do in case your electronic derailleurs have their battery dead and that you are climbing a hill ??

I used to swear up and down that I would never get electronic shifting because mechanical shifting has gotten so good. I am warming to it for my next bike since everyone I know who has Di2 loves it. I am also sick of changing internally routed cables and Shimano shifters eat through a lot of those.

If I were to go electronic, I would go with Shimano Di2. I have heard too many stories of broken battery tabs on SRAM eTap.

If I were to go mechanical, I would go with SRAM as I am sick of how often Shimano shifters eat cables. I now have SRAM Force 22 on my road bike.

It will never happen with SRAM AXS because I pay attention to my battery charge level. If you make a shift before the start of a ride and get a green light, you're good for 100 miles or more. I carry a spare battery for shifters and derailleurs, so it might take a minute to change, then continue riding. Only a dummy gets stranded.

It's like breaking a shift cable, but I'm back in business a lot quicker.

the cable eating shifters from shimano were and are the 7900,9000 and 9100 series regarding mechanical shifters . But always value good cables when installing those

How does that translate for the Shimano-impaired? 10 speed? 11 speed? 90s era? 00s era?

Plenty of innovations have solved real problems. A few from memory:

• high pressure clinchers with hooked rims
• indexed shifting
• integrated brake/shift levers
• carbon fiber for frames, rims, components
• disc brakes
• low pressure tubeless tires

Not on that list:

• electronic shifting

No, you've just drawn a fuzzy grey line and declared that those things are on the side of "solved real problems" and electronic shifting not.

It is mostly to the 00's era from2006-2007 and with10 speed and11 speed groupsets .

I rarely have to touch the cable-operated gearing on any of my bikes. I've gone years without adjusting anything.

I guess, if they were friction…

Are they indexed?

Definitely.

Since you are climbing a hill you would continue.

I would have thought that most fans of down tube shifters would opt for friction, to attain the ultimate in simplicity.

The would has moved on decades ago from these archaic systems. Glad you enjoy them but they play no role in modern cycling or this discussion.

Guess you thought wrong. Of course, if something happens to screw up the indexing, I can always switch to friction with the turn of a D ring.