Originally Posted by Paul Barnard

An odd resurrection to an old thread. There is unquestionably a point of diminishing returns relative to price. Go from a $300 bike to a $600 bike and you will feel a substantial difference. Go from a $600 bike to a $1200 bike, and again you will feel a substantial difference. You'll feel a difference going from a $1200 bike to a $2400 bike, but that difference begins to diminish. Then again from a $2400 bike to a $4800 bike. Sam got called a troll, but based on my experience he is right. Find a closeout bike in that $1200-$2500 range and you'll have a darn fine bike. That's how I got my Tarmac. A $3K bike for $2K. Ultimately though, you need only justify the expense to yourself.