I'm sort of new to the C&V scene and was hoping that you guys might be able to provide some insight. I was just wondering what the big disadvantages of stem shifters are. For me, being a little on the tall side at 6'2", stem shifters are almost a little better than downtube shifters because I don't have to reach as far. I'm not trying to evangelize for everyone to start using stem shifters but if they shift well, what's the problem?

There is no problem. If you ride in a fairly upright position then go for it.

That's sort of the way I feel about it. As long as the shifters do a decent job and I'm comfortable with them, why not? Right?

Some 80's frames built for stem shifters had braised on down tube cable guides, making it easy to convert these frames to my personal favorites, bar-end shifters.

Right!

Had them on my Schwinn LeTour IV, it was kind of nice to just slide the hand over, and shift with the thumb without the hand leaving the bars. They WERE friction shifters, so constandly tweaking them. But after N+1 struck, and I got a FELT with STI, I LIKE to be able to keep hands on the brakes AND shift at the same time....not so smooth, being a Sora, bottom of the barrel. Then came my Bridgestone with DT shifters. Alternating between the 3 was driving me a little nuts. The Schwinn moved on. It still takes me a bit to reset the brain as to WHERE to shift, seems especially bad going from the DT to the STI....keep reaching for the DT. I don't think I have tried to shift with my brake levers on the Bridgestone....

Back in the day, they were on mid range and lower bikes that were scorned by "serious" cyclists (like myselfs) and become hopelessly associated with hopeless Fred-dom. In this they are similar to turkey wings.

There are arguments for and against their ergonomics depending on one's riding style, but, in my opinion, it is ultimately guilt by association for them.

The reason I'm asking is that I just purchased an 81 Miyata 610 and it has Suntour stem shifters. This is my first bike with stem shifters. I've disassembled it and have begun the cleaning process. I thought that before I put this thing back together I would see if there are any arguments for replacing the stem shifters with down tube shifters.

If you have the ratcheting kind, even better.

I remember back when those were popular (or at least common). Some manufacturers would put the stem shifters on their cheapest bikes and downtube shifters on their better bikes. The problem with stem shifters is that they are hard to reach except when you hold the handlebars from the tops, which gives you an unstable, unaerodynamic, and and inefficient riding position. If you do ride like that and hit a pothole (or car or dog or curb), it is pretty easy to get thrown over the handlebars, then the shifters sticking upwards will impale your chest. Some stem shifters have rubber ends to reduce the impaling problem a little, though flying over the handlebars is still not fun.

I had a UO-8 with stem shifters.....I loved that bike! Put the shifters where you like them .

Schwinn offered stem shifters on the Paramount road models (P13-9, P10-9, and P15-9) in the seventies. Those weren't exactly low- or mid-range bikes.

I had "twin-stik" stem shifters on my Super Sport in the early seventies, and loved them. For friction shifters back in the day they worked just as well as downtube or bar-end shifters and were at my thumbtips when I was on the tops.

Glad to know I am not the only one who has that happen. I have multiple bikes with drop bars. They have Campy Ergo, downtube and bar end shifters. I frequently reach for the wrong location.

I think the main issue with stem shifters is just the past association with low end bikes. I guess we can sometimes be a bunch of bike snobs here. A lesser issue may be a hand postion with less control. If you like them and they work well for you, there is no problem.

i agree with this. i scorned them for a long time because they just didn't come on nice bikes. i currently run them on my 1985 touring rig because my knees kept hitting my bar-end shifters when i was out of the saddle. they work great for me on the stem.

I hate the look, but I agree that they are easier to use over downtube sifting if you are tall.

I am just over 6' and prefer stem over downtube shifters. I once had a commuter Schwinn LeTour where I replaced the downtube shifters with stem shifters. No problem. I currently run stem shifters on my winter bike, which is a hybrid that originally had grip shifters I didn't like. The old school friction stem shifters are reliable. Plus, if you want to pick some up, they are dirt cheap at any place that has used bike parts. They are associated with cheap bikes, though. For fun, you could put some of the carbon fiber looking tape on them and tell people they are the latest thing, referencing that they encourage body weight to stay on the center-line, resulting in more power transfer...or something like that.

As far as stem shifters go Suntours are pretty good...

Maybe they are better for tall people, but they are definitely not for me. I am 5'11" and ride size 57-59. The stem is the most awkward position of all available options. When using stem shifters your body has a tendency to lift up when reaching for the shifter, and it simply isn't positioned for ergonomics of the hand a wrist. To be honest when i had stem shifters I loathed the thought of reaching for them. I think it just kind of made med feel unstable, or maybe it was the fear of hitting a bump while one hand was at the rear of the stem. For me integrated shifters are great, dt shifters are a blast, and bar end is my go to favorite.

Except for the impaling part, couldn't you make this same argument about down tube shifters?

Dude, I love this...we might be twins separated at birth.

A lot of recreational buyers/riders like stem shifters. I have a mid level Takara from the early 1980s with stem shifters. I may rebuild it that way, not sure. Certainly on mixtes, most of the time, I will rebuild them with stem shifters. I've got a stash of stem shifters right now, so they have to go on some bikes in the queue.

DT shifters can be intimidating to new or inexperienced riders. Barcons? Even worse.

The challenge with stem shifters is that some buyers assume its a cheap bike, so it can depress the value. Really depends on the style of the bike, and the potential buyer pool.

After considering the comments/opinions so far, it seems like there are 3 things to consider when deciding whether or not to use stem shifters:

1. Personal preference: If you like them, use them. If not, don't use them.

2. How tall the rider is: Tall riders may benefit more by not having to reach way down for down tube shifters. Although this almost seems to imply that bar end shifters might be superior to both stem and down tube shifters (which happens to be my opinion but bar ends are also the most expensive and hardest to find used).

3. Bike geometry or riding orientation: Down tube shifters might be the superior choice for bikes with a more aggressive geometry designed for faster riding when the rider is not on the tops of the bars as much. For bikes with a more relaxed geometry where the rider would be on the tops of the bars most of the time, stem shifters might work just fine.

Given my height (6'2") and that this Miyata 610 was certainly not built for speed, I think that for right now I'm going to stick with the stem shifters. If a decent set of used Suntour barcons comes in front of me, maybe I'll give those a try.

I'm not tapping in the myth that stem shifters are vicious man traps in a crash. Gory pics first. Until then, I believe it's just some snobby prejudice, like others said above -no nice bike rocks stem shifters. That said, I'm a poser at heart and I'll never be caught with stem shifters. Give me loosening, hard to reach, imprecise Camapgnolo DT shifters any day.

Snoboser......

I like 'em too.

Just speaking for myself, and what I have learned about stem shifters. Most of the time, stem shifters are a gauge of the quality of the bike. Mind you, I said most of the time, and only speaking for myself. When I am scanning for bikes on Craigslist, anything with stem shifters, and safety levers, I don't even give a second look.. IMO, stem shifters are mostly on department and low quality bikes.