I had down-tube shifters on my commuter bike and switched to bar-end when I bought a new touring frame for commuting. I like the bar-ends better now that I have gotten used to them. They take a little getting used to because of the position and the direction you move the levers to shift up or down. It seemed backwards to me at first. You also might tend to swerve at first when shifting. My bar-ends are Dura-Ace and I have no complaints. One advantage they have over other bar-ends is that you can set them on either index or friction mode. If I build another bike, I will probably put bar-ends on it because they are much less expensive than brifters, more reliable and durable. They are easier to reach than down-tube shifters, although not as easy as brifters. A good compromise when you consider costs, reliability and ease of use.