SRAM Dual Drive with STI or trigger shifters

Quoted message said:

Has anyone noticed SRAM Dual Drive drivetrains with index shifters
(road STI and mtb triggers) for both the internal hub and the rear
derailleur? Is there anything special about these shifters? The Dahon
shifters looks like standard Ultegra brifters. The Trek has SRAM
trigger shifters. Can one simply switch the standard SRAM DD single
sided shifter with a standard 8/9 speed shifter?

http://www.dahon.com/intl/speedprott.htm

http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike...d=1276000&f=24

I have the triggers on one of my bikes. They work fine, though
at first they're confusing since on the internals you use the big
lever to shift up, but on the cogs the same lever shifts down. I've
also had to put a light on my helmet to be able to see what gears I'm
in at night.

For the internals, you have to use an Sram shifter, but at
least in theory, you can use any shifter for the cassette, provided
you match the number of cogs, the actuation ratio, and clearance over
the largest cog.

For my taste, the triggers seem like an overly complicated way
of accomplishing a simple task. One of these days I may try changing
the cassette shifter to a Smimano push-pull thumb shifter, which would
be simpler and has the the added advantage of showing what gear you're
in more visibly, or just by touch.

Another thing about the triggers is that the shorter levers
shift with a feather touch. It's easy to shift by accident just by
accidentally touching them, especially in winter with heavy gloves on.
For this reason, I cut mine down to keep them out of the way.

You got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there.

- Yogi Berra