They make nice bikes, positioned well in the aspirational market. It's the same reason people buy any number of brands. And, yes, when a less-than-knowledgeable shopper sees the price tag (and a brand name that sounds Italian), they assume Cervelo makes a better bike.

Until this year, every Cervelo owner I knew was a high-income occasional cyclist. This year, one of the best cyclists in our county bought one.

Bottom line: Cervelo does a good job of designing and marketing bikes.