[quote=lonesomesteve;9473692]I also like being able to glance down at my shifters and know roughly where I am in the gears without having to look back at the cassette (you get that with bar-ends too).[QUOTE]
My Tiagra brifters have little red arrows that indicate the gears. You can get a indicator tube that is in-line with the shifter cable that shows what gear you are in (for certain Shimano deraillers).