Stem shifters

[SadieKate]

Not I. I hated bar end shifters.

My husband likes them but with my smaller hands I could never keep proper hold of the bar while manipulating the lever. Trying to shift under ultra low speed or high speed conditions was always hairy.

I also like the snappiness of brifters (having nearly rear-ended multiple people with bar ends who've lost their "mo'" on rolling terrain) because your hands are almost always positioned for an immediate shift. Bar end shifters themselves aren't slower shifting but the rider has to have her hands on the shifter ahead of time.

For loaded touring in the back of beyond, bar ends would be more serviceable, but it's not like we wear out brifters very often. We do ride Campy which are re-buildable but the parts aren't exactly stocked by every LBS.

[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.

[Zen]

I feel sooooo ancient . . . . .

No, just experienced and knowledgeable

[SadieKate]

A fine vintage???

[Fledgling]

Thanks for all the helpful input! I practiced with the stem shifters again today. It's actually a lot easier to get the hang of than I thought it would be. I'm liking them a lot.

[HillSlugger]

I had stem shifters on my old 10-speed bike from the late 70's

[Zen]

I have these on order for my Peugeot mixte.
It currently has stem shifters.