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.)
Here is my view: Bikes now come in a few sizes, many fewer than in the steel era. And a custom carbon frame is possible, but not cheap. The result is many riders for a decent fit have stems in the 125 mm or longer category, couple that with the short front end dimensions today and the front wheel is more loaded. For many on these bikes just getting a waterbottle is dangerous, I have observed this while driving next to a local club group. Possibly for the same reasons, the majority of club racers cannot seem to ride a straight line, they weave constantly. For many of these riders reaching down for an "extended" period of time would be dangerous, they do not have the skills. I won't even discuss the guys training on "tri" bars and running stop signs to keep the tempo going...