I think it depends on whether you are very short like me, such that my DT shifters are a short reach from my bars, since the down tube almost intersects the top tube at the front where the levers are mounted. A very tall rider on a large frame has a much longer reach to DT shifters. I raced for many years with DT shifters and had no problems making quick shifts with indexing (Suntour Sprint 9000). About the only time it was a problem was if I was riding on the drops in the middle of a sprint, and did not want to take my right hand off the bar for even a second. I just made sure that I was in the correct gear before the sprint began, whereas now with brifters I can shift on the fly at any time. Brifters are also nice when shifting while climbing out of the saddle. All my vintage road bikes have DT shifters, and all but one are friction and I find them comfortable and easy to use in non-competitive activities.