Originally Posted by
newtwowheels
Basically are the returns on an expensive bike worthwhile for someone who has no intention of racing, but wants to get to work as fast as possible.
Also, I wonder if better bikes are built for racing, are they more fragile for day to day use? For instance, lighter tires sounds nice, but will I need to true the wheels every couple of rides (My route does have some rough areas, but overall is fairly well paved)?
The better road bikes ride better and you'll arrive less "jarred". Not noticible at first but after a few thousand miles on bike, your elbows, wrists, and knees will explain it in real-time. Better bikes need less "readjusting" because the components do what they were intended to do.
Not everyone needs a better bike. But if you put on alot of miles everyday a better bike is the way to go. Some folks have several bikes. When one is broken, they just ride another. I don't have that kind of bandwidth. My racing bike with a road-like wheel does it all.
The paint on the carbon frame hasn't held up as nice as other bikes but maybe it's because it was re-painted improperly by the previous owner.