Originally Posted by timcupery
I'd keep the down-tube shifters - stem is convenient but not if you go over the handlebars and shifters catch your crotch. And down-tube is just so simple, mechanically.
What's the deal?
This is always the argument I hear against stem shifters. Do you really spend that much time going over the bars? When you do, is it really a matter of a few centimeters clearance?
This smacks of people looking for a reason to hate on stem shifters. I like DT shifters because I think they look elegant, the shifting action is somehow very visceral, and they're quite convenient if you spend your time in the drops.
That said, if someone spends most of their time on the top of the bars, stem shifters may very well make fine sense and should work a-ok. Mechanically, they're just as simple.