seypat

I had both a Bentley sedan and a RR Sedan pass me on RT 95 within the past month. It took a while to figure out what brand they were. It's amazing how much styling luxury cars take from the various generations of the Ford Taurus. That's what I thought those two were at first glance, or a Crown Vic. Maybe a Chrysler 300. I realize that Jaguar had a connection to Ford at some point, but no reason for the German companies to resemble the 3rd/4th Gen Taurus as well.

shelbyfv

Actually you are judging. You are saying there is no rational reason for someone to buy the Mercedes, only "status and image." This is incorrect and judgemental. Someone might find the Mercedes more comfortable, quieter, might prefer the handling, might prefer the purchasing and service experience, who knows? Not that you'll get much of an SUV for 40K these days anyway.

Charles Lathe

I have let all but one of my bicycles go. The one I kept is one I’ve had for almost fourteen years. There is no way it is — or ever was — worth $14,000, but I wouldn’t sell it for $14,000.

Maelochs

Lol at this thread and everyone (including myself) who responds. This is just the $10 water bottle thread, and a hundred other threads, based on deliberate mis-statements, inaccurate definitions, flawed descriptions, and imaginary premises which are so incredibly popular here.

That $300K SUV (or cheap $150K SUV) Might be fulfilling functions that the poster simply cannot (or more likely will not) imagine. Status is more than impressing others ... we have status with ourselves as well ... and a lot of us really think, even though we Know our opinions are opinions, Our opinions are "right" (..... "when is reality" ... )

I, had I more than all the money, would probably buy the best, lightest bike, cost regardless ... why freaking not? What would I gain by stressing over other people's perceptions of "value" when i had completely different standards?

Oh, wait. We ALL have completely different standards, and "right" and "wrong", "better" and "worse" are entirely subjective?

Reality is subjective. I believe (just an unprovable opinion) that there is an external reality to which we are all responding, but we all perceive it and respond to it in completely different ways .... but of course, it is so clear, that my reactions are the only "right" reactions even though we are all reacting to different perceived realities .... Almost makes our bickering sound silly, so we ignore this.

Is a $14 K whatever 4x "better" than one which costs one-fourth as much? If you want it to ... or not if that is what you want.

When I finally get seriously rich I am going to buy a $30 K recumbent and ride it in $20K worth of loose-fitting shorts and shirts ......

pdlamb

The old, "I could be interested in fast cars or fast women, but since I'm too thrifty for that, I'm interested in fast bicycles."

big john

If you ever spent time riding around some of the thousands and thousands of multi million dollar homes in a place like Southern California, for example, you would know that $14K for a bike is peanuts for many people. Whether they even ride it or it becomes wall art, the money is meaningless.

For someone who does climbing races every gram may count and that person may be willing to spend their child's college fund on gear.

In my club there are working people who have spent more on their bikes than I ever could, some even as much as the $14 S-Works Tarmac or whatever. It's their money and they enjoy having it. When I show up on my old bikes they are still nice to me and they even wait for my old ass after the climbs.

Koyote

Funniest part of the thread is wolfboy carrying on about people pursuing “status and image“ – – the same wolfboy who never misses an opportunity to brag about how he only rides single speed.

By the way, it’s easy to argue that a $150,000 car or a $14,000 bicycle isn’t “worth it“ when you can’t afford it.

shelbyfv

Inverse snobbery is as much a fixture of BF as the trolls.

LesterOfPuppets

There is one silver lining in the wide availability of $14k bikes. It allows more cyclists to follow the golden rule: Your bike should always be more valuable than your car.

Iride01 

Five years from now that $14,000 dollar bike design and components will have moved down the price tiers and into my price range. And all the new tech it brings with it better proven with most of the kinks worked out.

I wonder what new ideas and tech will be on the top tier bikes five years from now.

big john

Doesn't take a $14k bike to exceed the value of the beater cars I drive. The last 2 cars combined going back to 1996 were less than half that.

big john

There is a bit of snobbery in some circles, I'm sure. Just like there is in any endeavor where there is gear involved. It's certainly nothing new, anytime people buy things some of those people are going to try and impress others and themselves with the stuff they buy.

The good thing about bicycles is that no matter what you buy, you still have to be able to ride. When a 100 pound girl on a $2K bike drops you on a climb it can be a rude awakening for some gearheads.

seypat

Electric, cableless brakes with buttons/pressure pads instead of levers like electronic shifters. They should be here already. Maybe a pressure pad type control that runs the length of each handlebar. You could shft/brake from any position on the bar. The auto industry has done away with most if not all cable type linkage. Maybe we'll have a thread on that in the future. Look how much the cars of the future will depend on electronics. It will probably be the same for bicycles.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/04/tech/...ela/index.html

KerryIrons

Not even a similar argument. The exact same argument. This totally answers the question.

ClydeClydeson

The price is set by what people are willing to pay

cb400bill

I can't wait until Spring gets here.

dedhed

3 motor vehicles in my drive. $6K total purchase and 1 of those I've been driving for 10 years.

VegasJen

There's not a bike out there worth that much to me, but I'm glad they are there for those that can and want to afford them. It may take 10-20 years but eventually that cutting edge technology trickles down to levels mere mortals can afford. If racing teams didn't develop it and doctors and hedge fund managers didn't buy it, who here would be riding carbon fiber today?

wolfchild

It's not about affordability. I could go to my LBS right now and purchase a $ 14 000 bike with cash if I wanted to. But what's the point of spending that much on a bicycle ?.

Rolla

I've never encountered someone so tortured by what other people do with their money. You pretend to know their motivation for buying expensive bikes, and it's always the same: "to show off." Your insecurity about your own inferiority is so constant, it's become a mantra.

Koyote

Nailed it.

Koyote

This sort of remark always strikes me as utterly meaningless. Sure, you might have $14k (which is no big deal), but that’s not the same as being able to afford a bike that costs that much. By your logic, I can “afford” a Ferrari - or a half dozen of ‘em - but I’ll never be able to “afford” one in the sense that I’ll never make the tradeoff of giving up so much other stuff.

79pmooney

I finally bought a car new nine years ago. I've been collecting bikes since to get their collective worth to more. Not there yet.

genejockey 

"What is something worth" is so idiosyncratic that it makes no sense to ask "Is a $14K bike worth it?" The answer is a function of so many factors that are specific to the individual - income, wealth (not the same thing), degree of obsession, as well as a lot of more subtle factors like how you were raised, or whether you feel YOU are worth a $14K bike.

But it's winter, and the rain has started yet again. so what else is there to talk about?

Koyote

You’re speaking about a personal/subjective decision. These threads are problematic mainly because some people, like the OP, speak in absolutes – as if they’re making that judgment for all of us.

In my training as an economist, it was drilled into me that wants are subjective … We simply don’t judge other people’s preferences. I try to carry that philosophy into my non-professional life as well.