+1 I'm getting older and Portland has many very real climbs so I run 50-38-24. (I use chain watcher and a 9-speed middle ring and the 24 to and from the 38 shifts go quite smoothly.) I also run DT friction shifters so I just reach down and push both shifters forward roughly the same amount. That gives me about a gear lower.

Only being able to shift the rear one gear at a time would drive me seriously nuts. I take it for granted I can cross the whole FW or cassette in one dump. Brifters may be a few more years away for me.

What is a "chain watcher?"
I'm Googling DT friction shifters as well...

The 24-39 shift was too much? Where'd you get the 38 with ramps for a middle ring? Stocks of 39T middles are getting low. I use chain catchers on all my triples now.

Usually called a chain catcher. Some kind of mechanism to prevent the chain from being thrown off the rings, especially to the inside.

For instance, here's a Deda Dog Fang:

https://i.imgur.com/MtB3pQp.jpg

Downtube friction shifters. They were common on road bikes prior to the 1990s. For example:

https://i.imgur.com/5O4nxSP.jpg

"Downtube" means that they were mounted to the bike's downtube.
"Friction" means that they aren't indexed, which is to say, they're not notched for specific gears. You just rotate the lever however much is necessary to make the derailleur shift the chain into the cog you want. Like how the slide on a trombone isn't notched for playing specific frequencies, you just move it however far is needed for the note you want to play.

How do you know that 79pmooney's middle ring is ramped?

TA makes some 38T chainrings with pins and ramps. I bought their 38T 110BCD ring a little while ago from Harris Cyclery for a new middle on my gravel bike's 48-38-24:

https://i.imgur.com/4mFRYWP.jpg

Well, I read what he said, that "the 24 to and from the 38 shifts go quite smoothly." IME that means ramps or the chain just rattles unless one is quite aggressive with the lever. Yes, I have a 9-speed triple with friction shifters. Thanks for answering my question for him. Ordered.

I have a 24T I've been wanting to put on our tandem, but thought the 39 just a bit too much of a shift. I'll have to see how the 10speed brifter and FD handles it - works fine with 53-39-26, but the two outer rings are 10 speed rings. 9-speed triple rings are not quite the same as 10-speed.

I need to gear lower now that my wife changed to cranks of the correct length for her - 150mm. We'll have to spin faster when climbing to generate the same power. We should be able to spin at 84 instead of 78, same power as with her old 170 cranks.