Originally Posted by
Greenfieldja
And while cost/benefit might be a matter of opinion there is usually a general consensus among avid riders about where the cost/benefit breaking point is within each manufacturers component lines...but this consensus of opinion is usually out the window if price of a part is the primary driving factor.
I think this sums it up pretty well, both for cycling and just about anything else. There will usually be some consensus where the cutoff lies where the extra money you spend gets you less than the previous upgrade did, what you might call the sweet spot of the cost/benefit curve. If your budget doesn't go that far you buy what you can afford, if your budget lets you go way beyond it you buy whatever you fancy. If you want full Dura-Ace just because you think the Dura-Ace logo looks pretty and you've got the money for it, go ahead and enjoy it.