did you know that Armstrong uses downtube shifters on big mountain stages because it saved 150g over STI? Talk about a weight weenie...
Quote from VeloNews:
Dear Ian and Tom,
In all of Armstrong's Tours since 1999, he has used a standard (non-integrated) left brake lever and a downtube shift lever for the front derailleur on mountain stages. Given that a standard Dura-Ace, non-integrated brake lever weighs 130 grams and a Dura-Ace 10-speed STI lever weighs 210 grams, you are looking at a simple weight savings. The downtube shift lever can add as little as 30 grams, plus you save a bunch of grams in extra cable and housing you don't need looping around the front of the bike. You don't shift the front derailleur often on a mountain - once at the bottom and once at the top - so there is not much efficiency lost. So you can give up looking for a hidden light on his bike, Ian.
Lennard
