Hydraulic Drop Bar Levers

Are you sticking with 9sp or open to changing?

I have Tiagra 4700 10sp hydro levers and they work well on my 1x10 gravel bike. I just don't use the shifter on the left hand lever.

Anyway, Tiagra might be your best affordable-but-good option, might be some deals about too.

No help at all, but curious if your current bar end shifter is friction or indexed?

Thanks. Don't mind changing the cassette. So 10sp would work.

curious if your current bar end shifter is friction or indexed?

Indexed i think. It sort of clunks between the positions.

Didn't PlanetX have some clearance hydraulic brifters recently?

I couldn't get a Microshift (11 speed, MTB pull) bar end shifter to stay indexed to my satisfaction last year. Ended up sacking it off. Just in case you are looking at that as an option. The fixing bolt, which also applied tension to the indexing mechanism, kept rotating as I changed gear, no matter what I did. Very frustrating.

I have a set of 1x11 RS505 shifters and flat mount brakes I should really sell. Left shifter has the lever and ratchet removed to work with a dropper post. Looking for £200 or £250 with a KS 27.2 125mm dropper.

I posted up a PSA the other day for the Alpkit outlet on ebay, and I see they have some drop bar levers/shifters/hydraulics on there.
£320 the pair. Normally I think about 400.
Any good ?.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225242382449?hash=item34717e0071:g:cNUAAOSwvIhjakWl

I've used tiagra 4720 10speed levers in the past. Never had an issue.
I still have them in the shed waiting for a suitable project... that hasn't materialised yet.
Bar end shifters... I've used microshift bar ends on ten speed. Again, no issues. Also have gevenalle 10 speed on one bike that are effectively microshift thummies attached to a brake lever. Also had no issues when indexed tho they do seem to be sensitive to cable stretch.

I bought another set Of SRAMs from PX. Cheapest I could find.

I haven't found setting up bar end shifters to be a problem, all the way back to pre indexed Campag through indexed Suntour and up to Shimanos. Maybe its just SRAM that dorsn't suit you.

The German websites seemed to have shimano hydraulic shifters at much lower prices and yes they were sending to the uk

Tiagra would seem to be the way to go. Dropper post for the left hand lever

Grx 400 is 10 speed and compatible with Tiagra 105 and the high end grx. But you’ll need a new derailleur as well. Although Tiagra are pretty cheap

Try Gevenalle for 1x and Hylex. They do a hydraulic option. It’s microshift if that matters. 9-11 speed options.

I have a set of 1x10 Gevenalle converted hylex (I bought them 2nd hand).

You can buy a lever conversion that will speak to just about any flavour of rear mech (road or MTB) for about £200 from bike monger...

Here you go...

One thing I will say is, having played with various hacked versions of "thumbies grafted to drop levers" and now tried the pukka product, integrated levers are easier to use, but the hydraulic versions are still bloody pricey aftermarket and compatibility is still heavily constrained. Hence I still like the Idea/simplicity of the Gevenalle levers...

Echoing mattsccm, my Arkose 2 (1x10 admittedly) is now coming up for 7 years old, and I've never touched the indexing on the bar end shifter since new. It's been bombproof, and Strava's showing 1700 miles covered.

I think microSHIFT and SRAM sell other bar end levers if you wanted to try another.

The TRP Hylex are great though.

Grx 400 is 10 speed and compatible with Tiagra 105 and the high end grx. But you’ll need a new derailleur as well. Although Tiagra are pretty cheap

I'll just say I went from Tiagra to GRX rear mech (for the longer cage to run 11-42t) and the clutch is really nice to have.

The Dura ace 9spd bar end shifters have been spot on on my tour de fer with hylex brakes.

I've used bar end shifters for years - since the first 1x Arkose model - and had no issues, but I do remember at one point getting fed up with index adjustment on some 10s Microshift bar enders .. then replacing the jockey wheels and the indexing ran perfectly. Maybe worth a check there?

Dura ace 9 speed barend changers are fab and they work with all the (9) groupsets.
I have even used them as auldskool thumbies with a set of Paul adapters.
Great when I was using a pair of Jones bars.
With good cables and pads,I have never had any problem with cable discs( BB7s and TRP) .

Ive got a single speed Arkose with TRP Hylex brakes, and put a Sram s500 bar end shifter (11 sp) to work with an Apex 1X RD, Apex 1x chainset and Sunrace cassette to convert to 1x11. Flawless shifting from day one, with very positive engagementfrom the shifter (really surprised me as originally done as an experiment with cheap 2nd hand parts). Have returned it to singlespeed now, but have to say I just love the Hylex brakes and hoods in particular. Not worth trying a 'better' bar end shifter?

I have 2 drop bar gravel type bikes. 1 is a Ribble with SRAM hydraulic 11 speed and the other is one I cobbled together with TRP Spyke cable discs and 8 speed shimano bar end shifters. There is no question that the SRAM brakes are way better which comes as no surprise but I prefer the bar end shifter. It is so positive. I have even bought a SRAM bar end shifter to try on my Ribble instead of the double taps.I think you have been unlucky with yours and as others have said Shimano ones are great.

It is possible to remove the shifter gubbins from the SRAM levers leaving them as brake levers only. Look on Ratio’s website for instructions.

Thanks for all your help everyone. Lots to think about here. Will see if getting anew thumb shifter and routing it correctly fixes the issue before possibly looking at 2nd handTiagra. Cheers x