I'm curious, why were you using your bar ends in friction? index just plain works, easy to set up and use.
I agree. Having friction as a fallback if you have problems is great, but indexed shifting is a very nice upgrade that can work great with only minimal care in adjusting it. The only real advantage I see to avoiding indexed mode is if you are trying to rum mismatched stuff.
Second, have you ever ridden with dt shifters? Many of us have a lot in the past, but in constant up and down terrain, I always found them kinda tedious with constant shifting, not to mention riding in traffic--dont get me wrong, I rode these for years, commuted in a busy city and toured with them for years, but have no inclination to go back.
I will just say that I find DT shifters a bit better in that regard than bar end shifters, but not as convenient as STI. For some folks, DT shifters may mean reaching down a lot lower, but that may not be true for all of us. With smaller frames and lower bars the reach may actually be easier for DT than bar ends. I find them much nicer than bar ends for convenience. While I do like I do like brifters a bit better, DT are my second choice if considering mainly convenience. If I was more worried about simplicity and reliability I'd lean more toward DT, but either are quite simple, reliable, and robust.
Even if none of that was the case, I'd still avoid bar end shifters because I find I bump them with my knees and also they tend to get bumped out of gear when parked by leaning against a wall, guardrail, or post. I find that quite annoying.