On page 8 of the December 11, 2000 issue of VeloNews, there is a picture of Lance Armstrong competing in the 2000 Tour De France. He is using a downtube shift lever to control his front derailleur and also has a conventional front brake lever. I think that says a lot about classic road bike design, since everyone knows how much was at stake for him to win the Y2K TDF. I also read that he insists on only using his 10 year old Selle San Marco Concor saddle.
David Field