I have a bit of a philosophy about this. I assess how I ride and what makes me feel good. Then, as I look at the options, I tend to lean toward the 90% option. By that I mean I might look at a Canyon Aeroad CFR and see it's $9500 price. Then I look at the Aeroad CF SL at $3999. What I tend to find is that the extra money gets you about a 10% improvement. I don't find that to be worthwhile. My system works well for me and has resulted in my having 5 really nice, quality road bikes, a Ford Fiesta ST and a Triumph Street Triple RS. I am very happy. Some times you just have to scratch the itch.