Originally Posted by Rhodabike

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question, but here goes.
Last summer in the Pyrennees I rented a road bike that had Campagnolo brifters and liked the way they fit and worked. Unfortunately the bike itself was too small so I took it back and got another, this time with Shimano Sora. My hands and forearms were aching like crazy by the time I returned the bike a few days later. The brake levers were huge and it seemed like I had to go through this huge range of motion to shift gears.
Now I have a new touring bike that came with Sora brifters. Same problem - too much range of motion and too big, so I swapped out for Dura Ace bar end shifters. They work really well, but I occasionally wonder if the brifters that I like on that first rental bike would work with my Shimano 9 speed system. Changing the whole cassette/derailleur/shifter setup would be a bit out of my budget.