Originally Posted by
baribari
$10,000 isn't the high end, it's the absolute pinnacle of excess.
A $500 bicycle to the general public is the equivalent of say, a $40,000 car. It's where you start to get into luxury and high performance cars. A $1000 bicycle is like an $80,000 car. Both could be considered high-end. The luxury and the performance at that point might be worth it to many people. A $10,000 bicycle is the equivalent of a $1,000,000 Indy car. It is the pinnacle of engineering and performance, and probably sacrifices practically and comfort for speed (unless it's gold plated and covered in crystals, in which case the owner is just an idiot). Yes, I know that some road bikes are upwards of $20,000, but a large chunk of the cost usually involves an SRM or a PowerTap...these are the equivalent of a $10,000,000 F1 car, or a private jet, or a yacht... Costs are extreme but they have their purposes to those who can afford them.
I'm glad you devised a litlle bike to car cost conversion chart. But the issue of excess is subjective. There should be no arguing what high end is. Take the lowest priced bikes and the highest priced bikes, take a look at that spectrum and put your finger at the highest end and you have yourself. ..... high end bikes.