Originally Posted by sam_cyclist

I took a tennis class in college, and a gal in the class always insisted on buying the most expensive racket possible. She had to get the best racket, best string, had to have it strung professionally, etc. She bought a nice outfit and shoes, all tennis specific.

I bought a $40 racket from the local sporting goods store.

Turns out, she was probably the worst player in the class, and I was the best, with no previous coaching. We were all beginners.

If your fitness sucks, buying a $12K road bike for a .0005 second advantage is not going to help you. You're still going to be passed by the busboy hustling to work on his 40 lb huffy who rides 10 miles a day as his commute.