I think I've removed probably about 5 times as many stem shifters from old bikes than ridden a bike with stem shifters. They're just awful. Since you don't have anything to push on to counteract the force you're exerting on the shift lever, you end up pushing or pulling your handlebars off course. Also, they move when you steer, so you end up chasing them around the stem trying to get into the right gear.

I love the barends on my touring bike. I can just switch my hand to the lower grip and shift away.

Sorry to hijack the thread a bit, but can anyone think of some decent 7-speed indexed barends off the top of their head? And for extra credit, where to pick them up?