Originally Posted by SwimmerMike

Every Triathlon I have done required a lot of shifting and, if I was going to re-do my tri-bike I would have go to DI-2 so I could have shifters on the Bull-horn in addition to the Bar-Ends. For the type of courses @ArgoMan rides, "flat", I would put shifters on the aerobats so I could stay on the bars the whole time. I agree with @vegasjen, I have always chosen my cassette for the course. When I scout the course, I determine the cassette I need, then switch it out to make sure I have the low and high gears I need and the best spacing.

With all that said, I also love to tinker on my bikes and buy new, or in my case really old, components to get the build I want. I would never want to discourage anyone from spending money.....