Without sounding overly luddite (just learned that word meaning here, I hope, paleoconservative in terms of technology)........Grant Peterson says (ahem!) that its good to become accustomed to different cadences and sometimes the "wrong gear" is better for becoming an all-round cyclist. Not to mention the tactile joy of silently slipping (friction mode) that chain over and getting a satisfying ka-chunk in your ear. Or the joy of fiddling around fine tuning to get that perfectly seated chain. Certainly can't dispute the less than ideal safety situation of taking the hand off bars on a bumpy road descent to reach for a shifter...or the joy of shifting out of the saddle when that Rottweiler is vectoring on your ankle.
However, less weight, longer equipment lifespan, cheapness, durabililty, and the gracefulness of lesser- engineered simplicity count positively for traditional shifters.
Just thought I'd weigh in here...I'm acquiring brifters this spring for one bike. Campy Veloce (with JTek) or 105......Big Question?? Advice welcome.
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..... "I renewed my youth, to outward appearance, by mounting a bicycle for the first time." Mark Twain, Speeches
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Last edited by GrannyGear; 12-16-05 at 09:37 AM.