Originally Posted by
StanSeven
That's what makes people do things like golf and sailing. They forget about all the pain and misery and remember one isolated good part. For example, someone can hit 120 bad shots in a golf game but one good one. The good one is all they remember and think next time they will hit 70 more just like that. That's what keeps them coming back.
The same with cycling - it's the belief that buying that one thing that will make them faster, go longer, and feel better
Kind of, maybe, but it's two different things entirely: you're comparing experiences versus material possessions. With golf, you're failing and failing, but imperfect shots are a norm. The only thing to remind you that you've had a bad shot are the score card and your memory; the card, you can erase, the memory, not so much. Golf teaches persistence, though: just keep trying and eventually, you'll get it right...somehow.
With cycling, it's just a matter of compulsive consumption, like you see a thing and envision a fantasy where it's on your bike and making you better. The material possession does no good unless you think it can benefit you, and of course, there's the warm fuzzy feeling you get when you buy something that you think is important. (Or maybe people who can easily afford things don't feel this, but when I can put enough money aside to buy a new seat or handlebars, I feel hella great about my purchase, simply because I
can make that purchase. I've often heard the argument that money equals freedom: the more you have, the more you can do. Sometimes, you just do stupid things with it.) Of course, it can't because the only thing that can make you better is you; things can certainly help, but that's more or less tweaks to an already strong foundation. One of the implications that bothers me about upgraditis is that if you don't think you're going fast enough, you can always blame the bike instead of adapting to the situation.