First part to actually break..

FWIW, I've only seen shift position indicators on lower end bikes. I'm surprised to hear that a Salsa has one.
Salsa has all kinds of models $700-$7000+

Guess learn something new everyday. But I really only look on occasion before I climb a hill. The Salsa model I was looking at was msrp at $1100. But probably won't.
 
FWIW, I've only seen shift position indicators on lower end bikes. I'm surprised to hear that a Salsa has one.
My first real mtb did have them in the 90's! And my next bike had an 8spd deore with a gear indicator, but after that no more... I would actually like to have it again, as for some tricky climbs on my home trails, I want to be in a specific gear. 2 or 3 are pretty close together and if you are rapidly downshifting from 6 or 7 it would be nice to go right to 2nd and have it confirmed... Right now I'm running 10 spd so I could mark up a SLX shifter with the indicator for the bottom 4 gears, as I find just have the indicator with no gear markings useless... I already know generally what gear I'm in!
 
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Nothing wrong with a gear indicator on the shifter. If you have a bike with an internally geared hub you really want that feature and that's why they come with a gear indicating shifter. In that scenario you only have one sprocket and one chain ring. You can stare all day at the chain without being able to tell in what gear you are. Even the old Sachs and Sturmey Archer shifters for internally geared hubs had gear indicators. Even on bike with a conventional multi- speed setup a gear-indicating shifter may make sense for casual riders.

Anyway. I thought the OP was reasonably clear in describing what's broken and by showing the gear indicator pointing at 1st gear. I would just replace the gear selector.
 
Hmm I just remembered they setup a well being benefit at work.. I might just fix the shifter the American way 😂 It would be ok as a winter bike, current one too small.
IMG_2020.jpeg
 
This has nothing to do with “roadie” vs. “MTB”
If you require a numeral to tell you “what gear” you’re in, you are looking at the wrong end of the telescope.
You try to maintain a certain RPM. If you’re climbing it goes down (that means becomes numerically smaller) and if sprinting it goes up. The cog in the front and back doesn’t matter, unless you run out of gear. And even then it doesn’t matter.
You pedal based on feel. Not on an arbitrary number.
That thing is a low quality plastic spring. Take the cover off and reattach it if you must. But know this: it’s as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
 
Personally neither roadies or the MTB bother me but they do make me chuckle. Some of the roadies do think they're hot stuff though. Which on the last big bike ride was amusing since they'd always pass me but I'd also always meet them at the next rest stop. They spend 2x the time at each rest stop even though they were faster LOL. On the other hand the first bike ride I did also had a gravel route.. the MTB's thought they were tougher and better.. a few told me I should I try it. I had to tell them I grew up on a gravel country road you can keep it! I did alot of miles on $20 Huffy and gravel roads as a kid. For the most part it's light hearted ribbing as you two demonstrated. At least it's not as bad as Harley riders...
 
I've tried road biking, it gets boring to just put your head down and pedal along a straight smooth road. I like the mtb trails that are twisty and have some obstacles. I don't like riding through boulder fields or sand
 
Bunch of roadies and newbies around here. There was a time when the good stuff showed you what gear you were in and let you to choose index or friction shifting. Retro-grouch Luddites are nothing new, some guys hated index shifting, said it would ruin mountain biking! :ROFLMAO:

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Cool. I still have those. I got it as a replacement for my original Mountain LX shifters (on a 1988 Schwinn) that were still working but where my curiosity included taking it off and breaking one of the four little metal pins. It still worked, but when I saw the Deore XT shifters at clearance sale (Backwoods bike shop going out business) I just bought them. I haven't ridden that bike in over 30 years, but it did see me through college. It was remarkable that there was so much interchangeability between the basic stuff and the top of the line.

Not sure where my original shifters are, but they looked like this:

 
Personally neither roadies or the MTB bother me but they do make me chuckle. Some of the roadies do think they're hot stuff though. Which on the last big bike ride was amusing since they'd always pass me but I'd also always meet them at the next rest stop. They spend 2x the time at each rest stop even though they were faster LOL. On the other hand the first bike ride I did also had a gravel route.. the MTB's thought they were tougher and better.. a few told me I should I try it. I had to tell them I grew up on a gravel country road you can keep it! I did alot of miles on $20 Huffy and gravel roads as a kid. For the most part it's light hearted ribbing as you two demonstrated. At least it's not as bad as Harley riders...
He who's first, rests the longest.
 
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