Me neither.

I've used all kinds of shifters and almost all of the different styles I've found have their place.

This morning I did my semi weekly ride with a few dudes. The terrain is rolling hills. We're somewhat riding in formation, and everyone is shifting all of the time. For me, the most comfortable position is riding on the hoods about 70% of the time, drops the rest. Im sure I could adapt to dt shifters, but honesly, while riding in the scenario mentioned above, where everyone else is riding brifters/ergos, i'd prefer riding my ergo.

I'm sure someone will come here and say they ride this same type of terrain in the same style in groups of ergo's/sti's and they love dt shifters, but hey, everyone is different.

Someone who says dt shifters are dangerous probably has some coordination issues or just arent used to them. But hey, I've seen a lot of people who should consider being behind a car wheel dangerous too.

After thought: Even though DT's are easy to use, I've found that I much prefer my bar end shifters.

If somebody crashes while using DT shifters, that would be a bike-handling deficiency, not a shifter mechanism deficiency.

This is right on the money.

Come on folks, these are DT shifters we are talking about here.

It's not like we are flying F-16s for gosh sakes.

NO - DT shifters are safer than bar end shifters in my opinion.

+1 Just an ignorant claim by the uninitiated and inexperienced. Balance on two wheels is a learned skill. You only have to watch a new rider swing back and forth while pedaling. Their weight shifts onto the bars...too ham-fisted. When they take a hand off, the bike swerves off line.

As for the initial question....No, never crashed. Learned to shift on stem and DT shifters in my youth. They feel natural to me. No one I knew ever crashed because of them either. Includes spirited riding, racing, and commuting in heavy city traffic.
To the inexperienced, taking their hands off the grips is an anxious exercise.

Like everything, it's a learned skill. If you don't have that skill, then anything can be a danger to oneself.

No, I have never crashed because of downtube shifters.

I think a better question would be, "have you ever decided not to bother shifting, because of downtube shifters?" My point being that the faster you can shift, the more likely you are to do so, and to do so successfully. I certainly can shift downtube shifters successfully. But it is more work than shifting on the handlebar, it takes more concentration, it takes more time, and in that time something may go wrong. I have never allowed that to happen. But there were times when not allowing this to happen meant not shifting, when otherwise I would have.

I never have while in a road riding situation.

When I had CX tires on my Trek 400T with 3x6 indexed I bit it once while shifting on single track out on Powell Butte.

I have dinged my fingers while shifting a couple of times in 20 years so there's that huge safety concern also.

I have come close to crashing because of DT shifters, always on hills. The last thing I want when going up a steep grade is for it to pop into a higher gear. I have had shifters, always Campy shifters, upshift on me more times than I can recall (and yes, they were tightened by an LBS that knew what they were doing). I stopped having this problem when I switched to Simplex Retrofriction. Now they stay in gear.

I almost crashed going downhill on PCH couple months ago. While shifting with my right hand and going downhill very fast, I hit a rubber/plastic car piece that was in my lane. Even though I managed to maintain my descent, as I was already off balance to the left, this started to send me to the left even more into the car lane. I somehow managed to grab the right end of my handlebar and pull away enough to the right to avoid getting hit.

I know lots of you enjoy DT's but I look forward to upgrading to bar-cons just like my other bike. Although for casual riding, with some practice I have gotten used to them and they are easier to operate than I thought.

My 10-year-old on his teeny road bike has DT shifters, and he can hold his line when shifting better than a lot of adults with STI. ;-)

Yeah, but that's not saying much these days...

You guys and your straw-man arguments. Anything to support the cause, I guess.......

Ha! Coming from a guy who is enamored with 70s era Pioneer battleship sized receivers!!

"How can anyone precisely tune in a station with a dial?!? One word...quartz. Two buttons, up down." Really!

No. But the other day I had this guy on my wheel when I reached over to shift in a higher gear and he instantly swerved - he thought I was going to hit the deck!

I recently set up a bike with North Road "commuter" bars and downtube shifters(the Gardin frankenbike). Shifting seemed a bit dodgy given I was in an upright position. I definitely wouldn't be shifting while descending or ascending as I didn't feel comfortable doing so. Someone suggested using Paul's Thumbies and putting the shifters on the bars but I'm going the other way and putting drop bars on the bike.

That way, I'm already leaning forward so shifting isn't such a change in position. The frame is an aggressive racing frame, too so it is another reason to go with drop bars.

You must climb some really, REALLY steep hills. Even back-in-the-day (1970s) when I lived and raced in ultra-hilly Fayetteville, Arkansas (GO HOGS!) I never had my Campy NR upshift on me on a steep climb. However, it sounds like you solved your problem (I've always heard nothing good things about Simplex Retrofriction shifters).

It's a learned skill, just like everything else. Like riding a bike. The more you do it, the more proficient you become.

I'm not sure I even get the question. If you crash while reaching for the shifters, it's because you weren't paying attention to the road, or lost your balance, or something like that. Unless the shifters jump off the downtube and poke you in the eye, it's not the shifters fault that you crashed...

There are technical reasons as to why DT's could be more dangerous...without getting into the nitty gritty details if your leaning to the right and turning while shifting the rear derailleur your more likely to crash than if your leaning to the left and turning.

That being said, I've never had an incident using DT levers.

I put 25 mi on the Bianchi today, my first use of downtube levers in a few weeks. (The Peugeot has SunTour ratchet barcons, the mountain bike has thumbies, Capo #1 is still down for parts (broken rear axle), and Capo #2 is still in pieces for cosmetic restoration and reassembly.) I find I upshift early to avoid having to shift at high speed, just as I downshift early to avoid getting stuck in too high a gear on an ascent. Other than that, I enjoy the fast response of the downtube system, even w/ a late-shifting Campagnolo NR rear derailleur.

Depends on whether you're north or south of the equator, though.

I thought DT was normal, and everything else was either new fangled or old fashioned.

I have used DT shifters since '74. Never a wreck caused by them, have never even had a wobble or loss of control in reaching for them. Every vintage 10 and 12sp I've owned either had them or I quickly switched over to them with a clamp-on set from a bike shop. And then I was back on the road and riding in bliss.