Originally Posted by
Iride01
No complication at all. Very little goes wrong with them. They might not last 40 years or more as have some of my older bikes with downtube shifters. But the safety aspect of not having to take my hand off the bars to shift is more than compelling to me for saying yes to STI's and their like brethren.
It's nice to be able to shift with both hands on the bars while sprinting up a winding hill.
I do see the benefits, but integrated brakes/shifters, by definition, are far more complicated mechanisms, with far more chances for failure, than downtube shifters. My setup is also lighter.