Thicker chains and cogs, all the hassle of cable brakes ( as opposed to all the hassle and WEIGHT of discs ) and thumbies that are the best for night riding in winter ( you can feel what gear you're in ).
It's fun being a luddite.

8 speed and cable brakes on this 2010 WS Myka

in fact most bikes under £600ish seem to be 8 speed again

My bike has an eight speed cassette but only seven speed shifters. I've got an old eight speed XT shifter that I really want to use but its broken. I'm also still using cable V brakes on the back as I dont have disc mounts.

i don't. i run a seven speed cassette with an eight speed shifter and cantis! but then, i also have a fancier bike with nine speed and hydraulics…