>>1658779Love them but I also love STI/Ergos
The DT shifters i've ridden a lot have been Exage, 600 tricolour (both 7spd) and 9spd Dura Ace. All rear index with selectable friction mode.
All other things being the same, shifting is better, because it's a shorter cable run with practically no housing.
Front shifting especially is better, for other reasons. So much so that it changes your shift pattern. Most roadies stay in their big ring until they absolutely have to leave it because the shift is so dogged.
I actually really like reaching down to use them. Its fun. On long rides it stretches you out a bit. And I find the movement is more ergonomic for my hands than swooping sideways on an STI. So my hands typically feel better. There's actually a few ways you can shift them which is good for movement.
The simply mechanical metal nature of them is very charming. How they sound and feel.
They're more compatible, due to the friction front, which is helpful for touring setups, allowing you to run wide triples easily.
I do find it effortless to shift them after years of use, but I probably shift an STI/ergo setup a bit more often, and that can be nice. You just leave them alone and forget about gears sometimes.
downsides
>If you take speed into a hill and are sprinting up it, you have to basically sit down for a second to have the balance to shift down. So they lose massively at attacking the base of climbs. >sprinting in general. Shifting while sprinting requires a pretty good bike and soft pedaling technique but it's amazing to do and you can't do it. >If you're riding rough hilly country roads with cars where you have to carefully pick a line and the terrain is going up and down a lot, they're basically sketchy, and you end up stuck in gears a lot because you don't have many moments where it's safe to take a hand off. >if you take them to races or group rides you'll sketch people out. 
