Sounds like Forbes hires bloggers? Same quality of research that I see in my former local paper's website?

Who cares about the most expensive bicycle? Overpaid financial industry dorks who read Forbes? Would they know the difference among bikes other than price? Is that the point?

Road bikes tend to cost more, but if you really want to check out expensive mountain bikes check out anything still hand made in America or super specialized one-off racer rigs. The more handmade a frame is, especially from a US builder, the more expensive it's likely to be; components are somewhat generic by comparison. You might start with Jeff Jones...jonesbikes.com and try looking around here maybe http://transition.handmadebicycleshow.com/.