Carbon or Alu for Wife?

[malkin]

Anything longer than 30 minutes or bumpier than a perfect surface rattles me like crazy on my aluminium bike. I ride it only for my work commute or little grocery runs. Otherwise, steel.

[aicabsolut]

In addition to reach, SRAM generally has a shorter "throw" of the levers than Shimano b/c you only push the inner lever. That can make a difference for someone with small hands. The newer and/or fancier Shimano stuff (new Ultegra or DA / old DA) won't be as hard (forceful) of a throw for the large lever, but it still requires more effort than SRAM.

That said, I'm perfectly happy with Shimano, but I am not petite, nor do I have small hands.