Originally Posted by Ken Brown
I am confused here. I have never owned a MTB, but aren't "rapid fire" also called "brifters", where the shifter is part of the brake (eg Shimano STI)? If so, touring bikes such as the Cannondale T-800 come with drop bars and brifters. Racing bikes come with brifters.
Rapid fire refers to shifter mechanism only. RF has 2 levers - one up, one downshift, both actuated by pushing with thumb.
This confused some folks, so Shimano revised RF to RF Plus. Push one lever with thumb to upshift, pull other lever with index finger to downshift. These shift better.
RF and RF+ were sold with or without brake lever integrated into common mount with shifter. The brake lever operates brake only, not shifters.
Latest shimano mtb controls are sti "dual control". This looks like a brake lever but operates brakes AND shifter. This would be the mtb equivalent of road bike brifters. I've heard they don't work as well as separate brake and shifters.
Rapid fire plus looks and works like the Sram Attack shifter pictured above.
I have sram attack shifters, except mine are grip-shifters.
Now, is that clear as mud?