When I was first doing long rides, I was out on my steel DT bike and got dropped by a guy with brifters. I was holding his wheel fine as long as the slope stayed steady, but he easily dropped me in rollers when he just outshifted me. Besides the weight, that was a big reason I bought a modern bike. I still have a bike with bar-ends, which is better than DT as long as one's fit is for the drops, like used to be standard.
I've worn out a couple STI right shifters. I think ~25K of all-weather riding is about it for them. But then I've never ridden more than 5k a year, so no big deal. Maybe Campy is more durable? Don't know. Now there's Di2.
__________________
Results matter