I think it all depends on what you want. I've converted a bike to brifters for my daughter, it was pretty easy to do since I had a full 9sp group. You can always swap back if you keep the parts. I wouldn't worry about anyone's opinion. My vintage bikes are mostly period correct but they all have speedplay pedals. Some people would give me crap over my pedal choice. Back to it's my choice and I'm not worried about their opinion.