My first impressions of the road bike world is that you must spend mucho money. I bought a nice bike frame last week, and I wanted to put some relatively inexpensive parts on it. for starters. The guy at the bike shop told me my frame DEMANDED better parts. For openers, he wanted $1,300, and more money would be needed. I didn't hear my bike frame demand anything. I need to know that I am going to ride my bike often before I spend $4,000 to $5,000 outfitting a bike. Right now, I can barely make it to the coffee shop which is 2.5 miles away--though it is uphill all the way--at the base of a mountain trail. But, I was really put off by this guy's claim that my bike frame was talking and demanding things.
The guy also told me if I was going rock bottom, I had to buy campy centaur parts, though he indicated with his voice, rolling his eyes, and making various gesture that I would be embarrassing my bike frame and revolting the entire biking world. And he is saying all this at the top of his lungs within range of everybody in the bike shop. I almost, foolishly, spent a lot more money that I wanted to. I didn't go back to that bike shop, and I never want to again. If you buy a Ford F150 with a six cylinder engine, people don't scream that your are embarrassing the road and the Ford Motor Co. I am beginning to think some people in the road bike world, at least the road bike shops, have a few screws loose. I bought a $10 magazine at another bike shop only to find later that it was last year's issue. Pleaseeeeeee!