I totally agree with this statement. But I can't speak with much personal experience since my road bikes are from the 80's and my mountain bikes are from the 90's, and like some of the others I don't use clipless (never have) and still run clips and straps (semi-rigid shoes w/o cleats) and just replaced my Simplex retro-friction with 7 speed DA index downtube shifters. I run platforms on my mountain bikes, which have v and cantilever brakes.

I am very content with everything except I don't like to have to replace a rim because of brake wear. This is obviously more prevalent with mountain bikes, but road bike rims wear. Even my old MA-40's are showing signs, although the anodizing is so stinking hard that you sacrifice braking for longevity.

For me that is the primary reason I see everything going to disc brakes. Being able to build a single great (expensive?) wheelset that just needs to be maintained and will not wear out is worth it.

John