Across multiples but it takes time to find a certain gear. So despite it being a really reliable gear system it's a tradeoff.

@@MsVinioliveira practice, practice, practice

@@PoliticusRex632i know how to use those shifters, but still they are harder to use cuz even when u are a pro you have to deal with the terrain and bumps and those things makes precise shifting harder than just clicking a button

I love my friction shifter on my Eagle 12 speed gravel bike for this reason. You can know exactly where you're at in your cassette just by the position of the shifter too so you know when you're running out of gears 😂

It worked fine on 5 cogs, works fine on 9 cogs. It’s the way to go!

lolololol

lol. TEACH US YOUR WAYS!

@@Phyoomz If you're riding up a hard hill, come up from behind your partner, grab the seatpost and pull yourself forward while pushing them back. It will almost stop their momentum. If you know somebody who's sensitive to little noises, while they're away not looking at their bike, take off a h'bar plug out and put a couple little stones, better yet, ball bearings in their handlebars. You can also put zip ties on your seat stays so they hit the spokes to drive certain competitors nuts in a race. This really works for particular individuals. One guy tried to pick a fight after a race with me for that!

@@rollinrat4850 😂😂😂 that's friggin AMAZING hahahha

You're welcome!

Same! Lol

Yep, I am 66, have just bought my first Di2 bike. Had friction shift for years on my 10 speeds. No way would I want to go back. Perfectly happy with my Do2 and my Campy record mechanical…….

Want to see truly older technology? Check out the Cinelli 'bivalent shifting systems' or desmodromic derailleurs. Jan Heine (of Bicycle Quarterly fame) still uses the latter on his Rene Herse randonneuring bikes for really long rides. Hes a pretty serious rider. It supposedly really works! Neat old stuff! This kind of stuff mostly only exists in museums and private collections anymore, but there's a custom builder in Japan who makes lots of things like this by hand in a small workshop. There's also something called a retro direct system thsts pretty unique. You pedal forward for one gear and pedal backwards for a different gear. Maybe utilize some different leg muscles! Since I'm quite the tinkerer I might just build one of these. I love weird bikes!

Agree. Typically 'backward compatible' refers to systems that work with their contemporaries as well as their predecessors. 'Forward compatible' refers to systems that work with their contemporaries as well as their successors. Of course, you could argue friction shifters are both ;-)

I'm still riding a bike that I've had since I was in my early teens. It has the friction shifters in the stem and still works great.

Those old DA shifters can switch to friction too. I still ride the original 7speed DA 7400 SIS downtube shifters since 1987. They still work perfect. Indexed or friction. The whole system is the fastest and most solid shifting I've ever encountered. Its amazing how well it works and has kept working over all these years.

That era of DuraAce IIRC has the option to turn the indexing off.

No kidding. Friction shifting allows me to haul my household around on longer tours, but I ride singlespeed or fixed offroad most often. Theyre simple and extremely reliable machines. Ride more, wrench less. That's this mechanic's motto. Every single one of my rides, friction shifters or not, I'm reminded it's me who makes the bike move. Singlespeeds have this amazing way of exposing our weakness and forcing one to simply get stronger and more skilled. Unfortunately, most folks can't even imagine riding one. Society has become much too soft.

@@rollinrat4850 Love it. I just did a 7 mile family bike ride on an upcycled BMX. Stood up nearly the whole time. Another one of my bikes, that my son rides, is a 1985 Murray with friction gear shifters on the quill stem. A department store quality bike back then, but it's older and runs better than any machine on my block.

@@alfonsoalmendariz3325 My daughter's grown, married and moved away. Man! I really miss those rides! Ive got several really nice custom bikes but only use them for big mountain rides, bikepacking or long tours. All but one of my bikes are decades old. Singlespeeds are what I like and ride most. One gear is all I 'really need'. My everyday bike was almost free. I assembled it from old stuff people gave me or didn't want. Ive built lots of bikes from piles of junk, beaten them until they break or I get tired of them and give them away. My favorite the last ten years is a fixed gear cyclocross bike. No coasting! I ride it almost everyday for commuting and on my local mtb trails. Anywhere I'd ride my fancy MTBs. Fixed gear offroad is more fun than should be legal. It NEVER breaks because it's ultra simple and built like a tank. I call that weight training. Its kinda ugly so thieves don't pay attention. But it functions perfect. When I get on my nicer lighter bikes with derailleurs, numerous gears and disc brakes and suspension, it seems so easy. But it still feels wrong to coast much. I'm pretty sure it's the RIDER, not the bike. We can't get too far without pedaling lots.

I just love having the option of switching to friction if the index fails or becomes misaligned.

@@rollinrat4850 Singlespeed is the way to go, I have few bmx's, dirt jumper and singlespeed city bike. Only bike with gears is my 1990 peugeot aspin with full shimano 105 that I don't ride much. I also have old atala bmx from 80s or even 70s, original seat, grips and tires

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Like a grip shifter - but the grip is precise and even shows you the gear.

My less experienced riding buddies always comment that I never seem to shift! Thats probably because they're always grinding their gears up steep hills, making noise and I scold them. I'll be the one to fix their freakin' broken bikes!

With modern hyperglide cassettes it’s even quieter than with straight cut gears. My old crit warhorse still has bar end shifter for the rear and down tube shifter for the front, works well and silently with any wheel. No clanging noise on shifts. And no disk brake hiss either, but that’s a topic for another discussion.

@@kennethward9530 That's awesome! Keep it up! Haha, Do you ever hear the snickering behind you? I ride a very old lugged steel fixed gear 'cross bike on trails most often. I'm an OG retro grouch! That's my favorite bike to ride. Its 'More fun than should be legal'! I've got to climb at an all out sprint on steep hills quite often. I call that intervals or weight training. I pass folks on full suspension carbon wonder bikes sometimes and Ive heard that sarcastic 'nice bike grampa' comment more than once! But It's usually when they repass me on the downhill. I don't care because my bike was free and paid for, decades ago, by someone else! Haha, I don't buy bikes on credit!!

@@kennethward9530 When I got into cycling in the early 90's a crit racer at my local bike shop would cut the right bar end shorter and install a bar end so he could keep a few fingers on the brake at the same time when down shifting.

@@Ego_Katana He wasn't the only one-that was the Eddie B./US national team set up from late 80's-my old crit bike (mounted to my smart trainer now days) has that arrangement. Works just fine with the 11 speed cassette. Old campy Veloce chainrings sometimes drops the 11 speed chain going from 42 to 52 tooth ring though...

I love being able to shift through multiple gears in one fluid move, and tell at a glance exactly which gear I'm in.

@@jojoUK120 For real. I have a 1985 steel road bike. Nothing fancy, but I never realized how simple and worry free friction shifting is. I've done 30 mile rides on this bike. I don't know if I'll ever get a real road bike with fancy index shifting. My go to bike right now is a Specialized Alibi with a Specialized Pizza front rack, a Bontrager rear rack, and I run Surly Extra Terrestrial 41mm tires. It's awesome for family or solo excursions. I got is used for $325 from a bicycle rental company in Napa, Valley. I figure a bicycle that was ridden nearly everyday is a good bike.

Hell yeah, I remember when the 3x1,2x1, where a thing. Now I can finally be gay or bi. :) I love choices.

Back in the day, we learned HOW to actually shift properly. (Not so) common these days..... Friction IS simply reliable. That's all that matters when you enjoy spending more time riding bicycles to actually get somewhere to drink, eat or sleep.

Sarcasm never reads well in text form. With riction shifting, it's the feels. Like the tension in a room, you gotta feel it out.@@rollinrat4850

@@winstonesmith1237sarcasm? Ive been messin with bicycles for 50 years. Its simply the truth, at least in my reality. I mostly just 'need' one gear. Singlespeed or fixed gear are still my preference in my old age. Simple is as simple does. But friction bar ends allow me to haul around a bunch of junk on camping trips in those big mountains. Never forget, it's the rider, not the bike!

Yay! ?

A nattering nabob of negativism might say it's akin to a sad trombone. But I would never say anything like that. 😆😂😆🤔😄

I found that is a cable tension problem. I have successfully tuned an old thumb shifter to a 10 spd cassette.

I can easily shift my 9 speed folder with an ancient "6speed" thumb friction shifter. I think it's all depends on your cable tension.

Just like canti's. Hard to beat the time tested goods, and so easy to adjust.

@@mikeinhoodriver I don't know what everyone complains about regarding good old cantis. They're just not that difficult with some practice. Haha, They probably ignored geometry in school! I wrench in a shop and DISC BRAKES ARE JOB SECURITY!! Not to mention a bunch of other new techy junk. They keep us BUSY EVERYDAY. I ride more than most of my customers and I'm still using cantis daily. I havent changed my Koolstop Salmons in 5 years. I'm almost positive it's the rider, not the bike!

I don't agree with the use of the term outdated. It's a matter of perspective. Just because a certain trend became predominant in some kind of market, it doesn't make other alternatives outdated I have 4 bikes all built on 90s mtb chromoly frames, I like them better than most new bikes that follow contemporary trends

@@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess All this new junk seems to matter to marketing idiots and those who drink that koolaide. Marketing's purpose is to separate YOU from your money. Nothing else! Folks need to learn to think for themselves. Don't believe everything you read. IGNORE marketing bullshit. YOU WILL PAY for whatever you get, one way or another.

Try the VO thumbies. They use the same stud that you find on DT boss, so they're a lot easier to adjust.

Besides a bent derailleur hanger, there's not much to go wrong or 'tune'. Friction shifters only stop working when the cable breaks or the derailleur is ripped off the frame in a bad mishap.

@@rollinrat4850 You might also want to keep the limit screws on the derailleur set correctly, so as not to throw the chain into the spokes or between smallest sprocket and seatstay. But apart from that, your're right...

@@turboseize Thanks. Haha, I'm a pro shop mechanic. Whenever I crash, I stop using the big cog. But mostly I use a fixed gear 'cross bike for all my local rides. Fixed off-road is more fun than should be legal! I don't need to add to my job security. From my POV that's about all new 'bike tech' is. Therefore, friction shifters on my bikes with waaay too many gears......

I remember some guy saying something like "ok, you and your DOWNTUBE SHIFTERS" and other people started laughing... and I was so confused because up to that pt, they were the best shifters I had ever used. lol

I've only been riding these new shifters less than a year, am considering right now, taking some friction shifters and making mounts for my handle bars. I don't know if all my issues could be me, or the shifters, but they drag, clink, and change under load, occasionally, but they're driving me crazy.

If your derailleur hanger gets bent the derailleur still functions as well. As long as you're aware and don't shift the chain into the spokes!

If they're getting so hard to come by, you'd think that means there is a hole in the market waiting to be filled, and *someone* would start manufacturing more new ones..

I ride offroad mostly with friction shifters and headphones on unless I'm in a place with big wildlife. I have a cowbell as well that gets pretty noisy in the rough stuff. I can feel if the rear derailleur is clattering through my hands and feet. The only thing I don't want to do is to wear a hole in the cage of my ancient, yet precious Sun Tour XC Pro front derailleur. But I can glance down to see if it's rubbing usually. A little noise in the drivetrain isn't a big deal when I just dont give a rip!

running an eleven speed chain on a ten speed cassette helps quite a bit.

A marketing and sales rule: 'There's a sucker born every minute' A quote from Proverbs in the Bible: "A fool and his money are soon parted" I'm convinced marketing BS is very little more than propaganda or brainwashing. Akin to corrupt politicians and fake news. My personal quote: YOU will always pay for what you get, one way or another.

Also because solid roams bikes are so expensive. Especially getting carbon frames. Aluminum last for a while and take less damage.

SLJs? I'm going to try to put them on a 10-speed when my set arrives next month. I've heard that the skinny barrel can be a headache. Any insight?

Same here I have the first edition 83 Trek 520 3x6 ...and a 82 Trek 1 edition 311 that was originally a 2x6 now a 2x7 both downtubies smooth as can be

@@kevinford2223 I have a 2018 520 and there are the mounting points to far in the front! The shifters would pass the steering tube.

Aha so you are the culprit!

Between me and Drew we've pretty much cornered the supply.

Ive got a bunch too. 50 years of bike 'junk' in my garage. I'm not sure how I'll ever move out when it's time! Even some Sun Tour XC Pro thumbies . Best ones ever made.

And the fact that there is a feel for it!