I suspect they will shift 7 in friction mode. I own one of the 6 speed levers but I was surprised that there is no ratcheting when in friction mode...it behaves like any downtube shifter. I don't know if this is normal or whether it's a fault of the one I own. I haven't tried it on a 7 speed block.
You'll note that the catalogue describes them as 6 speed in index mode but no reference to the power ratcheting when switched to friction. The left side is always power ratcheting. It's odd.
