Ah, the ebb and flow of fashion - does one fight against it (look at that pillock with the STUPIDLY flared drops Ribble with big knobbly tyres, riding on the road), or go with the tide? I find myself being a bit of a snob (my 2000 P7 with 700C wheel and front disc conversion sooo trumps you, Ribble-knob!), but only sometimes.
I guess it's because I'll never buy a new bike again that I'm stuck in some distant past, seeking out new 7-speed XT parts (they'll NEVER be beaten!) to keep building and maintaining older bikes that will become ever-more comfortable as age creeps up. Possibly with wider, plumper tyres. Possibly with a more upright stem and comfier bars. Possibly, like a gravel bike! Aaaaargh!