STIs aren't the only brifter option. There is Campy. You can use their shifters with Shimano drivetrains by using a small $40 pulley from Jtek called the shiftmate. Campy Mirage and Centaur shifters can be had for reasonable prices and work as well as their more expensive brethren (chorus and record).
I'm suggesting Campy because the mechanism is relatively simple and a catastrophic failure causing you to have to throw the whole shifter away is pretty unlikely. In the event of a failure you can replace any individual part without having to get a new shifter.
The real plus to me though is the way the front shifter works. You don't need a road specific derailleur. It works with double and triples. Chain rub is a non-issue because they have "infinite trim". Adjustment is far less finicky. All this is accomplished through "micro-indexing". Basically you have like 10 clicks to work with. It's like of combination of index and friction shifting which makes a lot more sense when it comes to front derailleurs than pure indexing does.
I have Campy ergo shifters with shimano drivetrains on both of my bikes now.