I like most bikes but I love bike shows and I love the new equipment they keep coming out with. I might consider getting a classic bike to build and I would put bar end shifters on but only because I want a ten speed cassette on the back and because I never had bar end shifters. I will admit some of the old steel bikes have a good look about them but there is nothing they have, or do, that would make me “prefer” one over a new ride with bifters. My back up bike today doesn’t weigh any more than my Viscount and my Scandium bike is lighter and more responsive than anything I have tried in old steel or new steel for that matter. I plan on making CF my next build and I have every reason to believe I will be just as impressed with how much better and more responsive it is than any of my older bikes.
In short I love the bike shows because they show me where we have come and what we can do if we want the best the industry has to offer. Some of it may be beyond me like the New Specialized S works team bike that I saw that was only 12.5 pounds without pedals and saddle. Yet it less bottom bracket flex than my Jamis.