Originally Posted by
Astrozombie
From my days on the net the general consensus on everything is that ~$1000 is the sweet spot. Is a 4K really that much better? With the whole diminishing returns deal? Then again the guy in the book "It's all about the Bike!" had a custom touring steel bike built for about that much.
Yes, and no. I've been riding a $1k bike (Trek 2.1, 105 components) for several years and it's a fine bike. Well, I had upgraded the wheels so let's call it a $1.5k bike. When I'm in shape, that bike allows me to ride with the fast group in my club. I don't NEED anything more. But now I own a $4k bike and it's better, but it's not 4 X better. It likely won't make me much faster. It does weigh about 5 lbs less, which will help on the hills a little (a little less than 3% less climbing power required for the same hill - that's just physics) and the stiffness of the frame may help with power transfer some, so that will make a small difference.
But it's a dream to ride - the feel, the fit, the responsiveness, the smooth shifting, etc. I spend A LOT of time in the saddle, and the small improvements are worth it to me.