Why does Lance ride a climbing bike with a downtube shifter on it?
Riders such as Lance Armstrong and Joseba Beloki choose a bike with a downtube shifter for two reasons. The first is to shave another 100 grams or so of weight in comparison to their STI or Ergo lever; the second reason is that during a mountain stage, the riders are constantly moving from the small to the large chainwheel and then back again, and sometimes the front derailleur, if not adjusted correctly, will rub against the chain – or in some instances, switching down to the small chainring will cause the chain to come off. The “manual” operation of the front derailleur allows for fine tune adjustment without the potential for these problems to arise.
