Stem shifters

[OakLeaf]

That's why going back to downtube shifters is more appealing to me.

It's less of a reach than a water bottle, the reach works to centralize your mass rather than taking your hands out to the absolute ends of the bars where the slightest wrong movement will affect your steering, plus like most people my age I'm experienced with them.

It's nice to be able to cover both brakes while shifting, is all - you never know. I don't really find brifters any quicker than properly adjusted indexed downtube shifters.

[SadieKate]

I don't really find brifters any quicker than properly adjusted indexed downtube shifters.

That's why I said "Bar end shifters themselves aren't slower shifting" (or downtube shifters). It's really more a matter of where the rider's hands are when the shifting needs to happen. It's most apparent on rolling terrain where you just need quick shifts of the front der to maintain momentum but you like to honk over the rollies from the top of the hoods. Takes a lot of hand movements and forethought.

The mechanical action of the shifting isn't really any different.

Of course, I've seen lots of riders come to a screeching halt on rollers even with brifters because they haven't figured out the basics of shifting.