What's so enviable about this thread? Well placed quotation marks make a world of difference!

I think this thread will be much like the Milgram experiment, in that as subjects we will deny that we would do such a thing as ride a bike because of its perceived cachet, and yet we are all obedient servants to the tastes promoted by the community. (There's probably a better analogy using a more appropriate sociological study, but I'm not a sociologist, so my knowledge base is rather limited.)

Personally, I ride bikes that work for me, and they usually end up being rather pedestrian. On the other hand, I feel a need to fill the "bike-to-make-them-wow-on-the-internet-and-on-C&V-rides" niche. I think I've failed rather spectacularly at this.