You might do well to re-read the thread title…

People with vintage cars feel the same way about carburetors, points, bias ply tires, manual transmissions and am radios. Interesting but obsolete. There is a reason there are no manufactures selling down tube shifting bikes it is a vestige of a time gone by.

They do since the title of the thread is comparing Electronic vs Mechanical shifting. So modern mechanical non DI2 SL 7900,9000, 9100, 6600, 6700,6800 and 8000 shifting levers are archaic according to your definition??? Very interesting to know...

Oh.

Bianchi

Is that right? Do most fans of down tube shifters prefer indexed rather than friction?

Yet there are still brands some who are selling frames where you can install down tube shifters. Though shimano doesn't make the down tube sl for 11 or 12 speeds, other brands do and some people use down tube shifters.

As a very long time user of down tubeshifters, I always prefered indexed.

I have one of Campy’s first indexed down tube shifters and it works great after all these years. Still prefer it to friction. But then, I prefer my Campy Gen 1 Ergos to that. Can’t say that my latest and greatest Shimano brifters (manual) are much of an improvement over the Gen 1 Ergos.

Challenge accepted.

Actual problems solved:

• high pressure clinchers - fussy and expensive tubulars
• indexed shifting - user errors and steep learning curve with friction shifting
• integrated brake/shift levers - must move hands away from brake levers to shift
• carbon frames - corrosion, fatigue failure (and others)
• disk brakes - poor wet weather braking, friction-induced blow offs
• low pressure tubeless tires - pinch flats

Has anyone put sram etap on a brompton successfully ?

"Steep learning curve for friction shifting" -- seriously? Those are minor issues at best.

Not so minor when you sell a customer a bike with friction shifting that they can't manage to shift. BTDT.

Yes, the problem started when Shimano went to under bar tape routing which was 5700/6700/7900. AFAIK, all the generations after this have the problem. I had the problem on 5700, 5800 and 6800.

Some people in this discussion appear to have missed the original question.

this list, including the electronic shifting seems more innovation to me as opposed to solving problems.

Indexed shifter: "Push the right lever up to shift to a higher gear in back."
Friction shifter: "Push the right lever up to shift to a higher gear in back."

You're right, friction shifting is a lot harder.

Yep.

yeah, maybe i should have emboldened that bit like you did but then it wouldn't be as fun a thread as it turned out.

Yeah, indexing became all the rage in order to get more newbies into cycling and make it less intimidating to work "all those gears". Electronic shifting just takes it to the next level. Now anyone can use the gears on their bike - no skills or practice necessary. I'm partial to friction shifting myself.

True. It’s always fun to hear the reasoning why some people refuse to accept pretty much any new tech. Always the same old bs with zero experience of the actual tech in question.

I thought your original question might put them off as they didn’t qualify, but they just can’t help themselves.

Why do people think the only shifting options(friction or indexed)before brifters is/was DT shifters? Barcons for the win.

Really? Because “newbies” certainly weren’t the ones dropping the big bucks for top of the line professional racing components.

Eew. No.

Nothing in my post suggests that.

My Trek Elance 400T is switchable (on the downtube) and I do leave it in friction mode.