Teamdarb

Stem Shifters handlebar mounted.
I have been living on a bike continuously since 2011 traveling America and Canada. That is something to understand as I explain the answers to your questions. Why the double? Necessity and increased durability. The triple crank arm cracked at the spindle. It was the old Impel 250 with 74bcd only and steel rings. I have over 250,000 logged since 2011. You have to imagine the number of chains, chainrings, jockey wheels, and bicycles I have gone through. One thing I noticed is the more in line the chain runs, the more life I can get out those components. My Q factor is rather low and the inner chainring sits just 45mm from the centerline of the frame. I also use only seven to eight speed cassettes. My rig runs in to guises loaded and "oh nuts mountain bike mode". I take modern cassettes 9,10,11 speed space them to seven or eight, and keep only the cogs I like. The current chainring is Sugino 46 tooth and Black Spire 34 tooth. The cassette goes from 15-42 (eight speed, not in photo).

Are those thumbies? Sort of, technically.... not really. Long story short, I do not like item sticking out from the bike that can get damaged in transit, falling over, or flipping upside down to fix a flat. They are stem shifter from a Bridgestone mixte I traveled on and gave away to a person who wished they had a bicycle. I mounted them to swing downward. Seems weird to most people, until you realize shifting is not a priority on my setup. I just peddle. I have had several suggest downtube shifters. Here is my argument to that.... I go through frames whether damaged or just given away. My cockpit, saddle, lighting, and front rack are a constant. I pop them off, and they fit easily onto another rig no matter the year. Brake and shifter cabling are always left long. I never forget the day a bike shop thought they were doing me a favor by cutting the cables and installing an on the shelf cassette. I left the bike there for the day so I could explore the area. My lid blew!