My Cannondale came with both brifters and top-bar brake levers (like cyclocross style). After 1800 miles on the bike, I'm still not so sure why I keep them. ...momentum I guess.

Here are some pros and cons I see:

Pros:

• Conenience in traffic. If you're making a lot of starts and stops they come in handy.
• Comfort on long rides, again in traffic. Relax on the tops for a few minutes, and don't force a hand position change just because the light turned red.

Cons:

• Ugly.
• Weight.
• Discomfort: They make the bar tops effectively smaller, reducing available hand positions.
• More difficult cable routing.

Ok, so that's my list. Let's hear yours if you have an opinion on the matter. Should I just get rid of them?

My riding: Three nights a week I do a 25 mile run over and back in the hills of the Sepulveda Pass (Los Angeles). Once a week I do a 40-80 mile fun ride.