Am I the only one who thinks indexed shifting is overrated for vintage builds?

I rebuilt a 1985 Centurion last month and put a modern 8-speed groupset on it with indexed shifting, but after riding it for two weeks I swapped back to the old friction downtube shifters. The indexing was fine on the stand but on the road it kept needing readjustment and never felt as smooth as my old friction setup. Anyone else prefer friction shifting for older bikes or am I just stuck in my ways?

3 comments

3 Comments

reesel5018d ago

Lol my fat fingers can never find the right click with indexed shifters, I just end up grinding gears like I'm making a smoothie. Friction is where it's at for us clumsy folks.

martinez.kim18d ago

Man, I gotta push back on that. Friction shifters are like using a flip phone in 2024. They work, sure, but why would you want to? Indexed shifting just takes the guesswork out. Once you get the muscle memory down, it's way faster and cleaner. You don't have to be a mechanic to nail the clicks. It's just repetition. A few rides and your fingers learn the pattern. Plus, no drift. Friction shifters always creep out of adjustment on long climbs. That's annoying. I get the nostalgia thing, but indexed is just better for everyday riding. Smoother, more predictable, less hassle. You can keep your smoothie gear grinding. I'll take the crisp clicks every time.

harper_foster17d ago

I was just reading something about how indexed shifters were actually designed for racers who need to shift under load, not really for casual riders. Makes sense why some folks just don't vibe with them.