This is soo Cool!
Right now I am using shimano shifters on my MTB. The bike above looks really close to the bike I am looking and yes I do not have enough points to post links which I will eventually overcome.

With this particular shifter shown above, can I shift gears using my right index finger while 'standing up' and ascending a sizable hill? While putting hard stress on it will it still smoothly change gears? My mountain bike is 'fair to poor' as I need to change the derailleur and chain rings, under heavy ascending load it can sometimes slip.

My ride to work is normally all roads. There is a hill near work that has a fairly steep but very short hill. A good amount of speed can quickly ascend it but going home its steeper and has a hair pin curve with no lane so I am in traffic fighting for space going up hill and contending with the 5 O' clock rush home. My solution was extreme visibility and to just blast up it as fast as I can while being super mindful of the tired and distracted drivers.

Can someone direct me to the proper 'geometry' for how a road bike is supposed to fit? I really suspect I have been riding my mtb incorrectly all these years and I will have terrible habit which need to be changed once I change. For example a coworker noticed on her way home that my knees 'extend' out from the bike when I ride which I think means i am not high enough up.

Inseam > 31-32" I have a long torso propotionally I think being 5'7"+ a 1/4 inch or so.