Albatross! Lol, I love that saying. I think $8k is a huge statement. Back in that day, I skied quite a lot we had the term "snow bunny." It was a term for someone who had all the sweet gear and clothing but couldn't ski worth a hoot. They looked great on the slopes, but when asked to perform - well, it just wasn't there. I feel this way about a super high-dollar bike. Is it even necessary? Maybe I'm just an old hippy, but I really want to simply thumb my nose at it. I mean, you can make a grocery run in a Corvette or a Pinto. In the end you get the same results.