Gripshifts were always cheaper so that was a cool factor at that time, not so cool if that means cheap shifting, as in not so accurate as rapid fire. Besides on muddy and rainy days after repairs on a chain or a olympic dive into a puddle, you would struggle to do exactly what the names suggests: get some grip to shift. The transitions between uphills and downhills which involved braking and shifting at the same time required some additional skills too, not to say superhuman. Another and last issue, it scuffed the handlebar and/or covered the nice logos ;D