Originally Posted by
ScaryPillow
I change a few times a minute: when I accelerate or when going up/down inclines. What kind of shifters should I look for?
My budget is under $300 so looking at the used road bikes most of them have down-tube shifters or stem shifters. Would those be suitable?
If you usually ride kind of hard stem shifters suck because they make you sit up every time that you shift. If you ride kind of leisurely, down tube shifters suck because you have to bend too far down to reach them. Only you can determine which is better for you.
Whichever you choose, train yourself to operate both of them with the same hand so you'll only have to take one hand off of the handlebar.
Unless you fall into a real good deal I wouldn't worry about indexed shifters on the handlebar until your budget loosens up a little. That way you'll have more of your budget to spend on a better frame and wheelset, you'll be less likely to find your newly purchased shifters are worn out, you'll probably have to do less shifter adjustment and you'll also be training yourself to become a better rider.