Originally Posted by
Rowan
One of the most irritating rides I had was with a guy with bar-end shifters who simply didn't seem to realise that his rear derailleur needed trimming. The noise was a nuisance, but I held my tongue. I decided then that bar-end shifters just didn't seem to cut it, despite this being an operator error rather than a malfunction of bar-end design. On the other hand, my STIs changes positively, smooth and precisely right the way through the 200km ride.
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And this goes to show what a Jonathan Swift Bigender VRS Littlender argument this is. I have been on multiple rides that listening to several drivetrains grind was driving me nuts. Guess what they were shifting with... Yep, Sti. They all realized it was happening, but
could do nothing about it. I could have, but there is no way I will work on anyones bike on the side of the road other than mine or a friends, outside of an actual emergency.
I think that the best answer in this thread was Clasher, when he said that the OP should just use whatever came on the bike when it is new, as replacement will probably be pretty far in the future anyway.
And to the OP, this is nothing. Wait till you start a thread about pedals, helmets, or steel and aluminium.