Had to drop off my car for some work and didn't want to walk the 3 miles back. I also didn't want to ride my Madone because of didn't want to bother with shoes and all the rest. So I dragged out my son's old mountain bike and tossed it in the car.

The bike is Trek 2000 and cost maybe $400 10 years ago. When I put it in the car I quickly realized it's a TANK and weighs a ton. It didn't take 100 yards for me to realize the huge difference between a $400 steel bike and a full carbon bike... it was night and day.

Riding the bike home was like climbing a long hill, but the road was flat. It was like I was dragging a spare car tire behind me. When I go home I felt like I climbed a 3 mile hill.

It was just not the weight of the bike, must be twice that of the Madone, it's the added rolling resistance of the tires, the axles and the crank.

In conclusion I can now full justify spending the money for a quality bike. It just makes riding more enjoyable.