Chuck: It's not a function of fear, it's a function of street cred! The aviation world is formed of, essentially, two camps: Thems what salivate over shiny, big , fast Modern kit and who really are just not interested in old stuff, and thems what are green with envy at what, for example,you fly (have flown)! It's the same reason that Transair pilot shop is so successful.
In addition, do you know how much 800 x 4 tyres and tubes cost these days?