Dave, your observations are worthy of comment. In my experience (Three decades of road, track, 'cross, and mountain bike riding & racing), the 70's & 80's were the halycon days of cycling. The great majority of the cyclists I hung out with all rode Italian stuff (Frames & components). Part of the reason was the pro shops that sponsored the clubs and teams were old time roadies raised in the Italian tradition (The good shops may have sold Trek, Specialized, or Cannondale, but the shop's soul was the section of custom Italian frames and Campy under glass). Second, we were all spellbound by the European racing scene. Third, the only good things we owned were our (Insert any Italian frame) with a Record or Super Record group, a second set of sew-up wheels, a box full of freewheel bodies and cogs, rolls of every color of Benotto tape, a couple pairs of wool shorts with leather chamois, a few club jerseys, lace-up black leather cleated shoes (Probably Dettos), and an old station wagon to get us to the races we couldn't ride to. Fourth, all we did was ride our bikes, talk about bikes, hang out at the bike shop, and shave our legs. This may sound maudlin, but it was akin to being a member of a cult.

Lately, in my observation, it seems that road bikes compete with the desire to have lots of other toys, so price is the most important factor (In the days of old, no one had a decent car or even a car, a great apartment or house, or much of anything else), Second, there's less attachment to the road cycling tradition. Third, most folks with road bikes today are mountain bikers who noticed that the fastest off road riders started out as or are also road racers, enthusiasts who saw the Tour on OLN, or are triathletes. While there's more, this seems to be the essence of what's happening.

The fact is, "Roadies" haven't lowered their standards or lost their self respect, they're the same fringe element in the sport of cycling now as then. I've attended every Interbike since Long Beach in the early eighties, and still the most fun is hanging out in the Italian section. And in the sea of off-the-rack, albeit some are expensive, bikes, we continue to appreciate and do what's necessary to "ride" the scarce, head-turning, mostly one-off, best-of-the-best stuff / from Italy, of course (And most of us don't get dropped too often). And it does a body good to have a bitter wannabe like Sydney call us an Elitist Roadie With Stick In Butt, because while "...you (Re: Sydney) probably couldn't tell the difference.", we can.