Originally Posted by madpogue

That would work, as long as the "other guy" isn't actually doing the same thing, simply a half-cycle out of phase. Maybe every time you're passing the other guy, it's because he's letting you, and planning on sprinting past you just to let you pass him again. So it becomes an even-handed psychological exchange, and may just boil down to timing, who is in which phase approaching the finish. I wonder if any of his competitors actually considered that.

Okay good, I'm not the only one who gets a kick out of the "tink" of an indexed downtube shifter on a steel frame. Sounds a bit flat on my IM, actually. I just picked up an '89 Schwinn Circuit with that goofy Sante gruppo, and it's a little more resonant. And for some reason, my '89 Fuji Del Rey, with rather middling Suntour bits, really belts it out; my wife can hear it from half a block away.