Originally Posted by
operator
Easier to get to, but more incovenient to use. The shifters are at the bar end where little force is required to make huge changes in steering. Longer cable and housing + handlebar clutter.
Not so with dowtube shifters which are impart almost no force to the direction the bike is travelling. I can't think of a more idiotic and unsafe place to put a shifting unit. At all
Have you used bar end shifters? My line stays straight and true. Little force might be needed to move the handlebars, but a greater distance is required. This is not a problem, since your hands remain on the bars. Since the bar ends are are basically even with the steerer tube, depending on how much reach your stem has, and the force is vertical, the bars don't really move. Now, STI where the force is tangent to the steering and much farther in front would apply more torque. Try it, stand your bike up and apply upward pressure on the end of your bars. You will notice no or very little movement. Now apply the same pressure inward on your brake levers, like you would with STI, much more movement.
Or are you saying all shifting on the bars is bad?