Originally Posted by
tjspiel
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).
If Shimano hadn't warrantied my STI (because I was mucking with it myself or whatever), this is indeed the path I would have taken...better to spend money once and be able to repair it in the future. But it's even better to spend no money at all, sooo...