Originally Posted by
ciocc_cat
I've heard comments from some apparently much newer to the sport than I about not riding with other cyclists with DTs in a pace line due to "safety concerns".
Baloney! Amateur and pro alike road DT shifters for many years. Were they dangerous "back-in-they-day"? No. Are they less convenient? I's say that's more a matter of personal preference. If you don't want to have to reach all the way down to the DT to shift but don't want to switch to index-shifting brifters, then there's always good ol' barcons or these:
http://www.kellybike.com/2nd_xtra_takeoff.html (I use Kelly's on my Ciocc - no "safety concerns" from the brifter crowd.)
DT shifters in a pace line are a heck of a lot safer that the triathletes that do fast group rides in a full aero tuck, with their hands nowhere near the brake levers. Now
that makes me nervous. I will say that I prefer click shifters in a fast paceline, since a balky or missed shift can cost valuable momentum or even require the person behind me to brake unnecessarily.
People who are smooth and understand momentum and don't panic and grab the brakes or accelerate in spurts are the ones you want to ride anyway. I make a real effort to give the person behind me a good wheel to follow.