Originally Posted by
CrankyOne
Tinkering with gear is another big difference in the U.S. and elsewhere. The majority of bicycle riders in northern Europe aren't 'cyclists'. They're not in to gear or tinkering. They don't have computers or gobs of lights on their bikes. They're not too concerned with weight. Their bicycles are for transportation.
Probably the same can be said about gear, tinkering or N+1 obsessions for the majority of bicycle riders in the U.S., most of whom are NOT enthusiastic sports cyclists, nor likely to purchase anything from the LBS or online merchants catering to relatively well heeled enthusiasts and sports cyclists.