There'll always be people who will resist/eschew new technology and those who wholeheartedly embrace it, whether you're talking about bikes, cars, phones, etc. Not right or wrong, just a different way of looking at it.

The new stuff works great. I dig the convenience of the STI shifters. The internal cable routing, I can do without. All my BB's are still threaded, so can't speak about PF.

The old stuff works fine too. My DT friction shifters work fine. Not having an STI system is not a detriment to my shifting, even when climbing as there are long/steep enough ascents here that I need to be shifting out of the saddle. Had 23mm tubulars on alloys; never had a flat in 1000's of miles, and thank god. I wouldn't want to be gluing a tube on the side of the road.

Steel is heavier than aluminum and carbon. Don't really feel the difference when riding. In fact, I love the way the bike feels when riding in windy conditions. The thinner tubing 'feels' like it just slices through the wind. Probably psychological, but then again, a lot of things about riding a particular type of bike is just so.