Originally Posted by
Mithrandir
Here's the thing. I had a Shimano 6700 10-speed shifter conk out on me after just 10,000 miles. That's what has me worried about being able to find replacements; I've already run into problems with the higher-tier stuff in just 2-3 years of riding. Now granted, the 3-speed shifter doesn't get used nearly as much as the 10-speed shifter, but still...
Edit: And God forbid I get hit by another car, which totaled my initial 5703's 4 years ago.
OK, here is an out-of-the-box suggestion: look up Gevenalle.com (aka Retroshift). These are brake levers with brackets that take any downtube shifter or barend shift lever and can use levers you already have or come equipped with 9, 10 or 11-speed indexed rear levers and friction front shift levers.
These are much less expensive than all but the lowest cost brifters, are durable as an anvil and can be upgraded cheaply. Friction front shifting is very easy to learn and will allow nearly any crank and front derailleur mix-and-match choice, double or triple. I have them on three bikes, two 10-speed and one 8-speed, all with triple cranks, and would not go back to brifters for both cost and durability reasons.