Thumbies friction bike drabble

I changed from Index shifting to friction today on my ride in. I was amazed at how smooth and QUIET it was. I never realized, until today, how much I hate that CLICK shifters make when you shift. I especially hate how loud it is with Grip Shift. I didn’t even know I shifted unless I paid attention to my effort and not the sound. It was a very enlightening experience really. The last time I used friction on my shifters was by necessity over 10 years ago since that is all that was available! I can see that indexing is better for racing when you want to think less about shifting and get it into gear as fast as possible, but for most use, like a rigid fork, friction shifting is sufficient if not better than indexing (you’ll never mis-shift, and it can’t break!). I must plug Paul’s Thumbies. I’ve been using them for over 6 months now with bar-end shifters and they rule. They are so light, so simple and clean, perfect. One of my first racing sponsors was Pauls Components when I rode for Moots and I loved him then and now. One of the only guys who has stayed true to the roots and kept plugging along making aftermarket components without going under due to the Man (Shimano).
I like my new bike (Karate Monkey). It’s taller and shorter than my preferences (I like genesis type geometry) but I’ll make it conform. The fork has to go though…I can’t believe how hard riding the stock fork is. The 29er wheels BARELY fit in the bus bike rack, but with a toe clip strap on the rear wheel, I feel confident the bike will stay in, and it did this morning on the way into Denver from Boulder. What a test, "I hope this stays on the front!" Webber flung his Surly off a 4 story parking garage during an IGSSC a few years back…so if Surly’s can handle that…I guess getting flung off the front of a bus is the next test, eh?