Originally Posted by
mm718
I had the same issue as the op and switched to Sram levers that look similar to the origin 8's above. It was a world of difference. I couldn't stand the stock LHT levers but am generally happy with the LHT.
I got used to the bar ends. Love that I can "dump" a bunch of gears at once, know what gear I am in based on the lever position, and be able to trim the shift with the front derailleur.
That was the first thing I did when I got my LHT, I swapped the levers out for SRAMs, keeping the bar ends. The original hoods were very uncomfortable OEM levers.