I could take them or leave them. Strictly on aesthetics I would leave them. I would never upgrade to get them. If and when I ever bought a new bike I would likely learn to like them, maybe even be pleasantly surprised. Some years back (less than 10?) I switched to clipless. It was fun for a while. Now I'm like, meh, straps were just fine and more flexible, didn't necessarily need cycling shoes depending on where and why I was cycling. I suppose I did my part for consumerism. I like my friction shifters just fine. I find them easier to maintain and more reliable than my indexed mtb. Contrary to what I think is popular from other threads I love cantilever brakes. I have mix of cantilever and side pull.