I take whatever is available. I do not think a 2 clamp situation looks better, and I'd really have to be in a bind to consider buying an aftermarket clamp for an integrated shifter.
All else being equal, I think I'd prefer 4 clamps. I'm so married to the Shimano brakes & drivetrain that it really doesn't matter to me all that much though. Positioning is good either way, though I used to have issues with older ispec.
I'm happy to say I never had 5 or more clamps/levers on my bar. Those people who had lockouts and FDs and droppers boggle my mind. I hate operating droppers and shifters simultaneously and never really liked 2x on MTB. I had a 2x drivetrain on a Slayer for all of 3 months in 2011, prior to that I had 3x on my first MTB hardtail in 2007 that got turned into 1x w/ the ol' chain-wrapped-chainring as a bash guide and locking the FD into position. Point being, I never really got used to all those levers, and it's the number of levers that bothers me more than the clamp.
May 5, 2021, 12:37 p.m. - Sanesh Iyer
I take whatever is available. I do not think a 2 clamp situation looks better, and I'd really have to be in a bind to consider buying an aftermarket clamp for an integrated shifter. All else being equal, I think I'd prefer 4 clamps. I'm so married to the Shimano brakes & drivetrain that it really doesn't matter to me all that much though. Positioning is good either way, though I used to have issues with older ispec. I'm happy to say I never had 5 or more clamps/levers on my bar. Those people who had lockouts and FDs and droppers boggle my mind. I hate operating droppers and shifters simultaneously and never really liked 2x on MTB. I had a 2x drivetrain on a Slayer for all of 3 months in 2011, prior to that I had 3x on my first MTB hardtail in 2007 that got turned into 1x w/ the ol' chain-wrapped-chainring as a bash guide and locking the FD into position. Point being, I never really got used to all those levers, and it's the number of levers that bothers me more than the clamp.