Originally Posted by
electrik
Because people want to be able afford that high-end bicycle/frame seen elsewhere on the cheap... it is either form before function or the brand-name/price blinding them to the imperfections of the package.
Ditto that. And besides, generally speaking, the lower the price, the higher the volume. Bike brands know what price points they need to hit in order to achieve a rough guesstimate of sales. They also know what profit margin they need to maintain to keep the lights on. From an avid enthusiast's point of view, putting Tiagra on a high end frame is a joke; but to a shop working with just another customer, maybe it's a different story.