Originally Posted by
JonathanGennick
Style points, at least partly. One less thing to break if you are a mountain-biker.
I rarely know what gear I'm in. Friends riding w/me will ask and often seem consternated when I cannot answer. I don't dare look between my legs long enough to count.
Usually I know what front ring I'm in. On the back I just go higher or lower as needed. And I can tell from the feel of the shifter and the bike when I'm at either extreme end of the cassette.
Some of my bikes have the indicators, and some do not. I don't stress much either way, but I guess these days I have a mild preference for not having them.
Well the lack of an gear indicator could easily be the difference between which of two bikes I might purchase and is definitely the reason why I have ruled out Sram for my shifters and also front & rear derailleurs.
One example comes to mind about why I like having them, the other week as I pushed off from the lights, I was surprised how hard it seemed and was initially thinking I must really be feeling fatigued, but when I looked at my gear indicator, I then realised I had forgotten to shift down as I was coming to a stop at the red light.
Now sure I would have worked this out without gear indicators, but having them there allowed me to work it out much quicker and that I appreciate.
Also as a noob cyclist, I like to know what gear I am in when I tackle hills and/or certain stretches of road, so that I can gauge my progress from my terribly low base.
Again the gear indicators makes this a bit easier for me,