About to buy bike with bar end shift levers?

[Veronica]

Any of you have these shifters - how hard will this be for me as a newbie getting back to biking and given that I have a lot of short hills?

By the way, this is my only hesitation about the bike - I think it's going to fit well and be a great bike otherwise.

Thanks!
Sadie

The OP asked how hard it would be to learn to use bar ends, not about any perceived risks. If you haven't used them for whatever reason, how can you answer her question? I appreciate people wanting to give their opinion about safety, but if you haven't used it, how can you speak with authority? There are inherent risks in just about anything and i get the feeling that folks who haven't used bar end shifters are trying to scare her away from them. Maybe that's not the intent, but comprehension occurs in the mind of the reader. She thinks the bike is perfect otherwise, let's get her on a bike.

Veronica