Cyclocross - barcons vs sti

I am really struggling on which to run. I have a nice set of dura-ace barcons and a fair set of ultegra sti levers (a bit sticky so I have to pump and tap to make the right side down shift..)

How often (really) do you break your sti levers? How often do they need replacing? I think they would be a lot more convenient, but when it comes down to having a bike on monday for my commute vs trying to find a pair of $250 brifters - Im not sure if it worth it...

In a given race - how often do you shift in technical turns? I would worry that barcons would take my hands away from my hoods too much...

thanks all - I know this is a beaten up question and the answer is ride what is comfortable,etc...

Im just worried about breaking a pair or two of brifters per year and how fast that adds up...but if you all say - they dont really brake - Ill believe ya.

Noboby can tell you with any accuracy how likely you are to ding up your STI levers.

Even with STI, you still need to anticipate your shifts. For example, if you are cruising down a descent to a barrier followed by a gradual uphill, you'd better downshift before the barrier, because remounting on the uphill in a high gear will be superslow.

Sounds like you are in the same boat as me. I was considering putting my STIs on a build i'm doing but in truth... more than likely i'm going to crash a couple of times.

If you are goign to race a couple of times, why not run barcons until you get a better feel of the bike in the beginning of the season...then switch them out.
If you do start with barcons, maybe you can route them under the tape since it takes up more slack. Then when you switch to STI, you wont have to buy new cables cuz they were cut too short???
Ok..enough from me.. i'm talking out of my *****.

I prefer barcon in friction mode. My new bike has 10 speed STI, I haven't tried it in the fields yet but I know I won't like it since my pit bike last year had it. I have a hard time shifting when it gets really bumpy. And I love the barcon because I can dump the whole cassette in one motion especially during technical turns so for example I can race right up to the turn in the optimal gear and then dump the cassette at the last moment. I tried STI on my main racing bike last year and stripped it off for a barcon (single ring up front) 8 speed. I'm going to try it again this year but I'll see how it goes.

Barcons lighten up the bike too.

If your STI is sticking and fussy I wouldn't mount it on a cross bike.

Oh and I've broken STI and I've broken barcons so I don't know which one is less breakable but of course the barcons are cheaper and you can salvage old parts for them.

Thanks for the reply!

The only thing I do not have is a brake lever. Can you recommend one? Or are they pretty much created equal?Tektro R200A (http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=6623&category=1597) ok? They seem cheap...and I generally have good luck with their kit.

I have some Tektro R200A ..they come in black and silver. You can find them on ebay or bikeisland.com The reason why I like these is because they have that release button like campy levers.

or does anybody use the cane creek SCR-5 levers?

and thanks for the replies - keep them comin. :)

Same as the tektros, just rebadged though some say the finish is nicer.

The Tektros have a great big body to wrap your hands around when climbing on the hoods, and work for my long fingers.

I think the Cane Creeks have large hoods as well. I actually like the thin ones and just used some old Sun Tour Cyclone levers I had laying around, but I mostly brake from the in-line cross levers anyway. If you like the feel of STI then you would probably want to go with the fatter grips, especially if you ever decide to run a 1 x 9 using STI to match grips.

The Cane Creek SCR-5 levers and the Tektro R200s are indeed the exact same lever mechanically, just packaged differently. I think these are the best feeling non-shifting ergo levers around and have rendered everything else obsolete.

Same as the tektros, just rebadged though some say the finish is nicer.

If you're a vintage nut, Nashbar sells them with gum hoods. They look real nice.