Originally Posted by
dabac
The big difference in service needs isn't between DT shifters and brifters, it's between indexed and friction. If you decide to use indexed, you might as well use brifters.
IME, brifters are about 1000 times more likely to get gunked up with sludge. I also note that there is no equivalent of the WD40 brifter flush for DT index shifters... I hypothesize this is because none is necessary. Finally, almost all DT indexing shifters can revert to friction mode if there's a problem.
Since the OP has an objective of robustness, DT shifters with indexing are a fine choice... second only to SSFG.
So I think that Mirage is a fine choice for a commuter, but I don't think OP should expect it to last 50 years... not because it's steel or BD, but because he's using it to commute - that's hard duty.