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. 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).