etherhuffer 

Been sorting this recent purchase out. The original owner had Silver Bar Ends, which are great. Changed out rear Rapid Rise for standard derailleur. It really shifts well but I am used to seven speed. 9 seems hard to be precise with. And, a rear change of gears leads to far more front trimming to stay lined up. I feel like my whole ride was just gear hunting and trimming. Anyone else find that more is not always better? Give it time to get used to it?

droppedandlost 

8 is my friction limit, and even that gets tiresome

etherhuffer 

Sheldon has a diagram of chainline with 9 vs 7 speed with a spacer on a 9 speed free hub. The latter lined up better

droppedandlost 

Probably my favorite is 7sp SRAM 12-32 cassette on a modern wheel with appropriate spacer

AdventureManCO 

I used to commute all the time, and for a while I was using my mixmaster Trek 990 setup with 9speed friction. Hard to get it right and had a few ghost shifts.

7 speed friction feels great, and I'm a big fan, but also have to admit there is nothing, nothing, like the tactile, mechanical solidity of the 5 speed friction setup on my PX-10. Like a Borg-Warner transmission on a Porsche 911.

etherhuffer 

I won’t be heading back to 5! I really like the design of modern cassettes and freewheels. The crunchy shifts of straight cut gears are not a pleasure! I have a pile of good 7 speed stuff ready to go. No 911 here but had a nice RX7 that that was very happy with Redline in the synchos. I miss a stick, but not in Seattle traffic

delbiker1 

I am using 6400 bar ends, in friction mode, on 2 different bikes. One is set up as a 1X 12 speed, 44 front and 11-34 rear. The other is set up as a double 11 speed, 46 F and 11-30 rear. Once I get used to the spacing and the feel, shifting is very good and accurate. I have used from 8 speed to 12 speed, IMO, the shifting is more intuitive with more gears, which means less travel for the lever. Do I occasionally miss shift, yes, but not often, and likely no more than with brifters. I really like the simplicity and flexibility of friction shifting. Both of mine are set up with Velo-Orange Porteur bars. Having said that, I do not like bar ends on traditionally shaped drop bars, I stay with the brifters.

ehcoplex 

For me, its not about the quantity, its about the quality! Very hilly/varied terrain where I live, and a well thought-out 6 or 7 speed freewheel with a double or triple up front pretty much gets me everything I need. This interactive gear calculator is one of my favorite things!

L134 

You might want to check your derailleur hanger alignment.

The Golden Boy 

Beautiful bike!!!

Yeah- give it time. Like real time. And not be impatient to get back to your comfort zone.

Because it's totally the same thing... A few months ago I needed a new mouse- After reading zillions of reviews, watched hundreds of videos, paid attention to what people were using... I threw down and chose a Logitech MX Master 3s. OMG did I hate that thing. I used it for a week and I was ready to just grab an old corded mouse to get that stupid thing off my desk. After like a month I still hated it- but not with the fiery passion of that first week. I decided to take it to work, where I'd be miserable either with or without the awful mouse.

It's been 2-3 months or so- It's all right. I don't love it, I don't use much of any of the features (other than the infinite scroll). But I have gotten used to the goofy shape and it's no longer uncomfortable to use.

Mouses. by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

Dean51 

etherhuffer , I encourage you to give it more time if you like the smaller "gaps" between gears that the 9 speed rear can offer. My story follows....

One of my 126mm rear spaced bikes had been running a SunTour Ultra-7 freewheel with a Super Record RD and downtube friction shifters. I built up another rear wheel with a free hub and used 9 out of 10 sprockets from a 10-speed cassette, a 10-speed chain, and the same RD & shifters. Note that a narrow spacer was needed between the 9th position sprocket and the shoulder of the free hub to make this work.

I'll acknowledge shifting was a bit fussier at first, but became a non-issue after a few rides. I simply got used to it.

Dean

79pmooney

I had my best bike set up 9-speed Campy, SunTour Superbe top-mounted DT shifters, D-A triple FR, Campy Mirage RD. 106 9-speed triple. Shifted like heaven, front and rear. I've now sacrificed a little in front shifting with a far older FD and cobbled together ancient crankset (to get absolutely lowest possible Q-factor and keep those titanium knees on the shelf).

I do take my old racing approach to FD trim. If I'm going slowly enough to hear the rubbing I correct it. If I"m going harder; well if I don't hear it, it isn't slowing me down. And, yes, I did kill FDs in about two years back then. But I spent more time going hard and rode far more miles on far fewer bikes.

Two factors in DT friction shifters that make a difference in shifting; both of which the Superbe nails in my view. Longer shift levers - good. More movement at the tip for better finesse with the small cog gaps. A smaller drum diameter (as long as you can get all the gears with the lever pulled all the way back to the DT for the biggest cog. My Superbe levers and the Mirage shifter nail that also.

Piff 

If it isn't an issue for your chainrings, try using a 10-speed chain. The narrower width helps to prevent the adjacent cogs from grabbing the chain. If using a 10speed chain doesn't help, try 11-speed. But as I said, make sure the narrow chain isn't an issue for your chainrings, it could get caught inbetween the rings.

This is why I am using a 9-speed chain with a 7-speed accushift drivetrain.

Given that you're using bar-ends, think to how you set it up and if you took great care to square the cable housing ends and get rid of burrs, any possible sources of friction. If need be, re-do it with high quality cables and housing.

RCMoeur 

Ah, so many memories of:
(overshift slightly)
tickatickatickatititititi...clunk
(trim shifter)

Now with Hyperglide (or knockoff substitute) available in just about everything 6 cogs & up, our lives are quieter and simpler, but the memories (and occasionally getting in touch with one's inner muleskinner) live on.

etherhuffer 

Did so, it’s good. Well lined up

jamesdak 

I'll echo some of the others, give it time to get the feel for what you are doing. I had an old 80's Orbea Cabestany running the stock Mobic Crankset, Simplex DT shifters, and a 9 speed Shimano RD. New Jagwire cables and housing. Over they years I swapped different wheelsets on to it and ran everything from 8 speed to 11 speed. It was some of the best friction shifting I have run, even at 11 speeds. I'm sure the more modern RD with the play in the top jockey wheel helped out with that. I also find that modern cables and housing really help with the feel and I always running a liner anywhere the cable passes over/through metal.

abdon 

Have you replaced all the cables and casing, taken the rear derailleur out for a good cleaning and to check the spring action? You may even need a rear derailleur with a stronger spring.

Early this year I got my daughter a vintage mountain bike. As received it shifted like $*it, once I was done rewiring and servicing everything it was buttery smooth. And that was going from a 6 speed freewheel to an 8 speed cassette.

John E

I run friction on everything, including 7-speed SunTour thumbies on my 3x8 mountain bike. Shifting is precise, easy, and stable. SRAM 8-speed chain, SRAM 12-30 cassette, 46-38-28 up front, SunTour XD derailleurs.
I wouldn't hesitate to stay with friction in converting any of my 2x6 road bikes to 2x7, 2x8, or even 2x9.

Johno59

Bar end shifters don't enjoy being tightly wrapped around the handlebars or frame. Nice big gentle loops are preferable. I have always found them more exact in their shifting but changing the FD to accommodate chain deflection is always necessary.

etherhuffer 

Thanks for all replies. Going to give it some time. The cables for bar ends run under the wrap to the center top of bar then exit. Not great. Mine have always exited forward and then looped.
Also my prior set up had Mountech XC high normal on front. I really liked that. I might try that on front. Wider cage may save on trimming. I have a hoarded pail O’parts to work with so a few more weeks of trial runs first

abdon 

You could be pleasantly surprised at how much better it performs with just a cable housing upgrade. New housing with a fresh and modern lining could be all it takes

Schlafen

When I first tried friction shifting, it was with with DiaCompe silver shifters as bar end shifters, 10s cassette. Boy was that a struggle in traffic. Out of the 10 cogs at the back it felt like I only used 4 or 5.

Not too sue why I feel the urge to try friction again but I'm building another bike now with 1x11 downtube ratchet friction shifters, fingers crossed.

rccardr 

I understand the OP's concerns, but personally have no issues with 8-9-10 speed friction shifting.
Seems to me that no matter how much I move the lever up and down, I always got a result- harder or easier pedaling- without much drama.

jdawginsc 

Whats your choice for DT shifters to pull 8-9-10

dddd

Starting with jamesdak's post, several mentions by now of how cabling can be an issue, most especially with such long runs of cable!

Any friction in the system at all, as with a well-used rear-most cable housing segment, or with the cable running against the bare steel of a bottom bracket cable guide, causes the length of the long cable to change whenever the lever is moved (caused by the cable movement having to overcome static-friction force).

The most notorious cases of cable friction/elasticity occurred when stainless cables were used in the unlined coiled-stainless cable housings, but friction/elasticity problems can occur anywhere along the cable's path (though have their worst effect further from the shift lever).

Choice of cable lubricant can also be a factor, as cable-specific greases made from silicone and Teflon (as opposed to hydrocarbon) tend to give lowest friction along the cable's polymer-lined path from shifter to derailer. SRAM and Shimano both offer such (seemingly expensive) cable greases, but just a very light application along the cable wire is all that is needed for super-slick operation.

Try making slight movements of the shift lever, taking note of any tendency of the derailer not actually moving in response to these back-and-forth movements. This would be a definite indication of cable friction and elasticity causing the shifting to be unresponsive and/or feeling imprecise.

Lastly, any use of abrasive "wheels" when cutting or dressing the ends of the cable housings will tend to introduce fine grit into the housing liner, simulating the effect of perhaps years and thousands of miles of riding in terms of the cable path's cleanliness.