There are two kinds of bicycles - "factory original" and "otherwise".
As soon as you venture into "otherwise" you start to encounter all kinds of situations that you hadn't considered. Some stuff you can adjust for, some you decide to just live with. Occasionally something actually works as well or even better than you had envisioned. Some things turn out to be expensive mistakes. If that happens, you can always switch it back so all you've lost is some amount of money. Whatever happens, it's never a total loss because you are gaining knowledge through the whole process.
As far as other riders reactions are concerned, at least 95% don't care and won't notice. Of the balance, there is a big body of folks who disapprove of any deviation from factory stock. They'll never approve. If you ever decide to sell a bike, "otherwise" generally reduces it's resale value.
Personally, I love "otherwise". About a month ago I bought myself a new Catrike. It's already "otherwise" and it's never going back.
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My greatest fear is all of my kids standing around my coffin and talking about "how sensible" dad was.