On 2/18/2018 2:55 AM, wrote:
I know no serious cyclists these days that do not allow themselves STI shifters or the like because they can break and keep riding Fred Flintstone bikes. Only people that are into vintage do.

Perhaps it depends on your definition of a "serious cyclist."

I have no STI-style shifters. I have some bikes with index shifting, but
the two bikes I ride most often still have friction shifters.

It's not because I'm into vintage bikes (although some of my bikes are
very old indeed). It's primarily because what I have keeps on working
just fine for my purposes. And in general, I value versatility,
reliability and repairability.

I recall an answer that Frank Berto gave in his bike tech Q&A column
back in the early 1990s. A person asked how to convert his Cannondale
touring bike (like the one I own) to index shifting. Frank Berto said,
essentially, "Why? Don't bother. Your bike shifts great. It's not worth
the trouble."

And illogical or not, I do worry about this
most-complicated-mechanism-on-a-bike breaking. I've had to replace
broken shift cables far, far from home, but I don't know if I could pull
it off with STI. I've also had to help fix the STI shifters of two
friends, one being on a brand new bike bought just a couple days before.
The friend was leaving that day on a long bike tour and the shop was
closed. Those incidents didn't inspire confidence.

Granted, those things happened long ago. I have countless friends with
STI (etc.) and no problems. I suppose if I were to buy another bike now,
I'd get STI-style shifting. But it seems like a dozen or so bikes is
enough for one household.


--
- Frank Krygowski