The guy down the street from me has a $5K+ Trek Madone six-point-whatever with SRAM Red and he constantly complains about how uncomfortable it is. He's in his fifties and has a big wallet. I figure the LBS saw him as a fish when he walked in to buy a bike.

My point is this, at $2K-$3K, unless you are buying a custom frame bike, you are purchasing racing equipment that is designed for people that bear no resemblance to 99% of the population.