Consumer driven? Of course!

I just bought my first bike in nearly a decade. I didn't know where the heck to start. I ended up w/ the carbon seat stays, mainly because I didn't know any better and I figured it couldn't hurt. Now that I know (a little) better, the seat stays still don't hurt, but now I am convinced that they're not a necessity since I'm pedaling all the time and don't spend a lot of time w/ my full weight on the seat.

That said, the carbon still may offer a weight savings for the bike (my Trek 2200 is a hair over 17 lbs).