Dumb question re shifters - help!

[jeffatcal]

I' just buying a new road bike after many many years of riding a "classic," ie, "old" bike, with shift levers on the down tube. My dumb question is this: How do the shift levers on the handlebars (behind the break levers) work? I don't want to embarrass myself. :eek: Thanks!

[artmichalek]

The only dumb question is the one you ask after tearing a brake lever off of a floor model at your LBS.:) The small levers behind the brake levers pull in the cables, much like pulling back on down tube shifters. The cable tension is either released by pushing down a thumb lever on the inside of the hood (Campy and some lower end Shimano) or by pusing the entire brake lever to the inside (all other Shimano).