Originally Posted by
twodownzero
I do not buy this argument. This is one of those things in the cycling world that has been repeated so many times that it's become gospel. It is a bunch of nonsense, but based in just enough truth for people to believe it and repeat it.
From a practical perspective, I agree. The odds of a brifter failing on any particular trip are pretty low, probably so low as not to worry about. I disagree, in that bar end or downtube shifters really are more rugged, and will almost certainly outlast a brifter. If you're changing bikes, or replacing your brifters with a new groupset every couple of years, you probably don't have anything to worry about. Would I want to use 20 year old, well used brifters out in the boonies? Not really.
I don't chose friction shifters because of their reliability, but more for their cheap cost. I don't mind their ergonomics, and the added reliability is just a nice bonus.