Only been riding for about a month now, but have been wondering about something. I have a decent entry-level bike that more than does the job, and I'm sure I'll be happy with it for a while. But I see so many bikes out there that cost 4-5X as much. I see more $2,000 bikes on the road than $400 bikes. I assume most people start out on a beater or a decent entry bike like myself. So when did you decided that it was worth it to drop a couple grand on a bike? I would love to get a really nice Felt or Cannondale or Specialized, but I doubt a high-end bike would really do anything for me right now with my riding experience.

So, when did you realize that it was time to drop the big bucks on a nice bike?