Originally Posted by
krusty
Not an apt comparison. Some people buy a Ferrari just to be seen in one, true. However, everyone in the world knows how much he must have spent on it, and what a Ferrari is. I would venture to say that even among bicycle enthusiasts, few know Vanilla bikes, or what they cost, and among the general public? - most wouldn't even notice one.
Yeah, and most people wouldn't know the difference between a Grand Mighty and a Bulletproof crank, wouldn't know the difference between Nitto cold-forged track drops and a random pair of rusted bars pulled off a 20-year-old road bike, etc., but that doesn't stop people from buying them for the "bling" factor.
Not everyone knows it's bling, but for people in the know it's supposed to be impressive or something. The only difference is the number of people you're trying to impress.