Originally Posted by
Steely Dan
to each their own. the ultegra brifters on my road bike have given me well over 15,000 miles of urban shifting, and they're still going strong. we'll see how long the sram apex groupset on my new bike lasts.
even if i had to buy a new set of brifter for my bike every year, i'd still do so in heartbeat. that's how much i love that style of cockpit control. hands on the hoods is most comfortable for me, and everything i need is right there at my finger tips. i simply love that set-up; all others are inferior in my opinion.
you are correct, everyone should ride what they enjoy.
we are still amazed at the north american fascination with drops/STIs.
edit: this shouldn't be taken as busting on America. I two colleague that commute every day with drops/STIs (one TriCross and one CrossRip) and they both hate it ... they feel like they've been talked into to much bike (especially with the 40% rebate and the bike to work scheme ... it's maxes at £1000/year, so people buy a lot of £999 bikes!).