Originally Posted by
sheddle
Since shifters got brought up, is there a specific reason bar-ends are used on "true" touring bikes? Is it a case of "much easier to fix if it breaks in the middle of nowhere"?
Generally true. Not so much "fix" as there's not much to fail, more a case of you can flip them to friction mode, so if you've problems with an out of wack R derailer, really dirty cable, etc... you can still shift.
Sheldon Brown (remember Sheldon ?) pretty much debunked the whole "brifters are no good for touring" argument a few decades ago, they usually do not fail and don't cause issues on a typical tour. Cross Africa ?, I'd want simple, but cross US ?, not an issue.
There's a whole thread on this here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/1...ring-bike.html