Originally Posted by
beng1
That is a nice belief-system you have there, but it has no basis in reality. Enjoy it though, as much as you enjoy your "free will" and your new equipment and empty wallet.
"Empty wallet", imagine. Not all of us are poor. 😉
If you can't afford a modern bike without impoverishing yourself, by all means, ride what you have. There's nothing wrong with it. Preaching to people how their choices are wrong, they're wasting their money and that modernity sucks is just ridiculous, though.
Virtually everyone who has ridden with a power meter, or clipless pedals or a modern, light race bike wouldn't go back deliberately to the inferior option even though they work. A lighter bike will make you about 1% faster per kg, uphill. Not a huge difference, but the difference of a couple of kilos will be obvious on times up bigger climbs.
Once you get a power meter and then try to sprint in clipless and on flat pedals, your error of assuming clipless don't do anything for power will be immediately obvious with numbers in front of you (as it happens, I have a power meter both on my road bike with clipless and my gravel / commute bike with flat pedals).