Oh heck Carlton, I just spent that on a fixed. Why? Well, nothing that would make sense. It's not the dollar amount. It's what is being purchased. Read: What is being purchased is not physical. I think the younger crowd calls it "cred". Older folks call it "buying a life". I don't have a single thing against someone buying an 8K bike and all the amenities. I love seeing cyclists with nice and even extraordinary things. Attitude and sub-standard behavior towards fellow human beings I see as unacceptable. This characteristic is the defining difference between folks who ride road bikes and roadies. The rest is all just surface. You don't know until someone pulls up beside you or passes you. If they pull up beside you and look down at your hardware before talking to you - roadie. If they give a gentle wave or nod or maybe even say "Hey" as they pass you - regular human being on a bicycle. Hear people talking about staying in their target HR zone and what their average speed was and make no mention whatsoever of anything else like the weather, location, pretty girls or whatever - roadie. Hear someone say - "Had a great ride today. Did it rain down here, too? Man, my HR was all over the place. Maybe I'm getting a cold." - Regular human being on a bicycle.