Originally Posted by
sleepy
I actually do give food to the homeless when I have the time to volunteer with the group. When I can resume this again, I will.
I used to volunteer at a non-profit bike co-op. Life went on, and I had to stop.
Of course people can spend whatever they want. But if this industry needs to flourish, less time on 10k telepathic shifters, more time on affordable cycling gear. As it is, people look at how much I spend-which is a pittance compared to others here, and stare aghast as I tell them how much it all cost.
But let's not hurt the Zipp riding maker's feelings.
Without the high end, the low end never improves. Your CAAD 10 is the end result of years of labor at the high end and the technology making its way down to the level at which you can afford it. It wasn't that long ago that CAADs were winning stages on the pro tour. The fat guy on Zipps with Di2, and his predecessors, are why you're not riding on a Varsity today.
At the true low end, nobody is competing with Wal*Mart and Target. That game is all about volume.
I get that people find any bike over $300 to be outrageously expensive. That's pretty much where people feel comfortable with any consumer product. But most technology driven hobbies have huge price ranges that shock n00bs. Many, if not most, hobbies are even more extreme in that regard than cycling.