Was thinking of buying one of Merlin's bargain Deore V groupsets for the commuter/child towing bike (1992 Cannondale, original dx mechs starting to be a bit tired and good 7spd cassettes now seem hard to find). However not sure on the Dual Control Levers. Any views?

I like them more than conventional rapidfires, but i'm very used to road STI shifters.

I liked them, many people didn't. I always used them with top-normal mechs, rather than Rapid Rise as Mr Shimano thinks.

I run them on my race bike with a normal mech, not rapid rise. I like them- for less rad XC duties they're a very good system, and easy to get used to. If it's for commuting etc I think you'll find them easy to live with.

So was durability in the muck an issue for some people? Obviously on a commuter this isn't going to be a problem…..

I love mine but as njee20 says, a lot of people didn't.
Use it with a top-normal mech rather than rapid-rise – personally I find this far more intuitive.

Durability has never been an issue- it's still just a shifter inside, though (unless it's changed from my original XT numbers) replacing the front gear cable can be a pain.

I have been using XT DCL levers for 2 years now.I have been contemplating upgrading my brakes which would mean,losing the dcl levers,but not sure if I want to change back to rapidfire.

I find them totally intuitive,especially when used with a rapid rise rear mech.

Very light action,maybe a little soft/vague for some and possibly need a little more fettling,but I`m quite sold on the benefits of always being able to fully cover the brakes,brake and change gear simultaneously,and having less clutter on my bars.

I never found durability to be a problem either, used them for a few years.

Seems like the masses went with the top-normal mech though!

I've got them on my hardtail, really like them, durability not an issue so far.

I used Hone DCL's for a year or so on a Cotic BFe, and really liked them, very intuitive. My only issue was they tie you into Shimano brakes, which i couldnt get on with.

I've got the early dual-control XTR on my Epic but conventional shifters on my other mountain bikes. I haven't had any particular issues with either but overall I just about prefer the dual-control.

I have an original set of XT's from 04, no problems at all with reliability, not even any mis-shifting whilst on the breaks in the rough stuff. I even ran them at last years mega where they didn't miss a beat.

Took me a while to discover (about 3 years) that a normal rear mech works better than the rapid rise that the bike came with.

I suspect that they will always be looked upon as the Marmite solution to shifting and breaking.

I'm suprised at the amount of positive answers here. Everyone I know who's used them apart from one hates them! They work fine and are durable enough but for technical riding I found them awful and just offered no benefits over proper rapidfire shifters – especially the latest ones. For commuting/baby towing work they'd be fine though.

My wife loves hers – especially good for those of you with weak thumbs. They've been absolutely reliable too.

Clubber, I prefer them to be honest, and I'd have them on my Genius if I could.

Love mine. Really struggle with anything else now – in fact even riding my VFR I try and change gear with the clutch and brake levers! That's how intuitive they are.

Well you can get used to anything eventually. Doesn't make it good 😉

They're not fit for purpose IME, they don't allow you to change gears while braking hard downhill (while approaching a stile/gate for example),

They are reliable (I had a set for 4 years). Though if you like a one finger braking setup I would look at a separate brake lever and shifter combo.

If you are happy braking using two or three fingers they are good. Reason is you need to have two / three fingers worth of lever over the grips to get enough leverage to shift gears.

I went back to a separate combo for this reason.

Another one here who likes them, mine are 2004 and still in full working order. Maybe the only little niggle with them (the original design) is, the plastic covers get scratched very easily and look a bit of a mess within a few months. That's the old design tho and just an asthetic thing.

i had the early xt version and although i hated the idea at first they were actually prettty good. Things that I didnt like were if you crashed and caught the brake lever it dumped all the gears, and the brake lever didnt feel as nice as some. In the end i upgraded to xtr seperates which are awesome but I do miss the ability to change up really quickly just by flicking your hand up. I had normal rear mechs from the start without difficulty.

Been using them for 3-4 years now and have found them to be great and very easy to use. I have just upgraded from XT to XTR and they are even better now 😀 😀

I run XTR dualies on two bikes and love them, one bike ia an xc race rig, the other is a big all mountain rig.
In response to richyB, yes you can brake hard and change gear at the same time, that's what the extra thumb release lever is for!

It's down to personal preference, but you do read a lot of cack in the mtb press about dual control set ups, normally from the same journos who recommend shoving a 70mm stem on everything.

Thanks for all your replies. Surprised at the balance of comments, guess I'll give them a go.

I love mine, Shimano brakes are my fave Hydro disc brakes too. So its a great setup for me. I think as said above they work best on a commuter or XC riding. You can get them quite cheap too. I was not sold on them until I had a go on a mates bike and found them a really good idea. Like most things people just believe what they read in trash mags like MBUK and wont even give stuff a go!

I use them on both my bikes and only ever brake with one finger, I can also change gear whilst braking. They are ace.

Only ever tried old XTR dual control, which was horific!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!