Originally Posted by pj7

and i don't see anyone doing what you imply is being done.
now we all know there is a huge elitist element in cycling but even in the roadie forum i don't recall seeing anyone shunned for having a cheap bike... however i can recall numerous posts where the agreed points were along the lines of conditioning being the focus, not the bike.
where are these threads where this other thing has happened?
I'm not about to go searching for all threads mentioning this, it's absurd to really request that, if in fact, you are asking me to do so.
In the mountain Bike and Roab Cycling forums, they are there, and can be found, I'm just not going to do it just to *prove* what is already known: that when someone mentiones that they just purchased a bike from a department store most of the replies to that thread are along the lines of "that bike is garbage" or "you just wasted your money." And you likely already know this and are just being a difficult little monkey!

i find it is more likely that the owner of the cheap bike resents the owner of the expensive one... not necessarily in an envious way, although i am sure there are those that fit that bill, but more in a cultural way.
i might be wrong but i don't believe these roadie ostracizers exist... at least not in any significant way. there are certainly some blowhards in recreational cycling that love to spend money but not all that spend money are blowhards.
I can see myself agreeing with this. Maybe I just store the snobby posts closer to the top shelf of my brain. I have a pet peve with snobby people and tend to let their idiocities eat at me.