Originally Posted by
twodownzero
This is certainly an innovation that I would not be without unless there was a damn good reason.
One such good reason is reliability and service. Loaded touring in remote areas requires the most reliable equipment. I wouldn't be (have been) caught dead with ergo/STI on my touring bike. I'd also need my bar shifters to have a friction option so I wouldn't have to deal with cable stretch/indexing failure at an inconvenient time. I assume all barends have that capability but I'm not sure.