In rec.bicycles.misc P Kl wrote:

The problem is all your mates could have integrated shifters and they will
tell you how fantastic they are so you may end up wanting to change . The
doubt is already in your mind about not having the integrated shifters.I
personally would prefer the barcons.

Feh, I did my first ten thousand miles on a bike with brifters. I like
them okay. The replacement bike I bought (Surly Crosscheck) came with
barcons as standard. It took me a day or two to adjust, and I haven't
felt any need to switch back. The durability/simplicity angle is great
for commuting, especially since I tend to destroy things as a matter of
course.

My brifters are rattling around in a drawer, waiting for me to construct
a sunny-day road bike. [1]

[1] I live in Seattle, I already own a rainy-day bike.

--
Dane Buson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
"Ubi non accusator, ibi non judex."

(Where there is no police, there is no speed limit.)
-- Roman Law, trans. Petr Beckmann (1971)