Originally Posted by HillRider

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.