Originally Posted by
John Coloccia
$315 for a brifter? I'll be the first to admit I'm not familiar with the boutique brifter market but to me that sounds high. Maybe the simplest solution is to find a different bike shop.
That sounds about right for the cost of the brifter and labor. You want the latest geewhiz gadgetry? You gotta pay for it. Brifters are great for racing since reaction times are reduced enough to offer an advantage but IMHO they're a disadvantage (along with all index shifters) for commuting since their maintenance and reliability issues aren't worth the trouble in a non-competitive setting.