Slow cyclists who buy expensive bikes

This is what basically keeps biking industry profitable. Them and the slow Ironman/half Ironman people. But it does help them right? At least a couple of mph.

Absolutely, just like slow runners with carbon plate shoes.

My man, if I were rich enough to not bat an eye at dropping $15000 on a Pinarello to go for a leisurely weekend ride to the coffee shop where I sit in the sunshine eating overpriced pastries, I don't think I'd give much of a sh*t if Letsrun thinks I'm slow.

Strange to laugh at someone based solely on your perception of their extravagance. People with money don’t care about splurging on things they desire. If they are living outside their means, it won’t be sustainable for long anyway, so you can ignore those cases as outlier blips.

In any case, electronic shifters alone won’t cost $2K unless the bike itself is several times that amount maybe.

No, their $10k bike is comparatively as cheap or cheaper than you spending $1,000. Better they spend the money supporting a local bike shop than placed in Walmart stock.

I used to do triathlons. It always cracked me up when there were guys worrying about a few ounces of weight difference in pedals while at the same time lugging around a 20lbs gut everywhere they went.

Nope. Thank them for helping the economy and applaud them for getting off their a$$ses.

I once had an amazing encounter with a female moose and its calf in the middle of the national forests. I set my bike down on the side of the trail. Myself and the beasts co-existing in nature's silence, staring through the trees, everyone emitting a real positive energy. A female moose may become defensive in these situations and stand in front of the calf but that was not the case here as there was no tension in the air and a few trees in the precise path between us. Instead, the moose continued grazing horizontally.

Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, going on 5 minutes now, I snapped photos and short videos. I was super quiet and not too swift with my motions.

Everything was chill until this silver-helmeted dunce with transparent red sunglasses raced into this slightly dog-legged, down hill trail environment with his over expensive bike and racing bike gear on, totally oblivious to what was happening.

As this Denver-ite jammed on his breaks at the turn in the down hill, making overexaggerated & unnecessary vibrations with the ground, he also inadvertently split the comfort zone established between myself and the moose. I could feel the moose' awareness heightening with the commotion and they instantly shuffled away into the trees.

This idiot ruined the moment.

There's a point where you're only paying for things that are relevant in top level racing or are purely luxury. At that point yeah, they're wasting their money. But.. who cares. You could say the same thing about any non-elite runner who pays for shoes designed specifically for racing.

Maybe we should laugh at you for thinking you own a national forest.

A few years back I was really into cycling. I wasn't that fast, I could do a 25mph average for 20 miles and 21 mph for 100 solo, but raced a few CAT 5 races. Mostly I just rode on my own and tried to set PRs on solo time trials, since that was what I most enjoyed. I spent thousands on a new bike and race wheels. I rarely raced it. And you know what? It was worth it to me. It was before I had a kid and I had disposable income. It was a healthy pursuit, and it was lots of fun. I still ride the bike today, even slower. People spend a lot of money on sports cars and don't race them. People buy expensive boats. If it's healthy, doesn't hurt anyone else, and you have the money, then cool.

I used to think similarly. Back in h.s., i used to scrimp and save for the latest suntour/shimano/campy drivetrain, brakes, hubs, etc. Meanwhile, middle aged dude with his bike that was 4x-5x more money than mine would show up at the Gimbels ride on weekends iykyk. I could ride circles around most of these folks. Fast fwd 35-40 yrs, and now, I am that middle aged person with youngins riding circles around me on lesser bikes. Circle of life. Cue The Lion King

The law of diminishing returns really kicks in around the $3000 price point. After that, the gains are really very little. I ride a 2019 Specialized Tarmac Disc Expert. It's a very good bike and a better bike than I'll ever be a cyclist. Sure, I'd like to ride a $8,$9, or $10,000 S-Works bike but I really can't justify it and the difference between my bike and that S-Works aren't really that much.

whats it matter. cyclists are pricks anyway.

Just read an article/study related to this called The Gravity of Groups. Seems like people are programmed to dislike "groups perceived as unfriendly but smart."

Using sensors that detect facial muscle activity, [she] measured how participants reacted when reading each scenario. Most subjects’ cheek muscles responded more (consistent with a smile) when reading about a positive situation than a negative one. But when looking at high-status, competent people— [the] celebrity category—participants smiled more when something bad happened. Emotions toward [the celebrity/rich] group were inverted.

Read anything with guidance on not responding to wrong threads?

or slow runners buy super shoes

Don't need to when I consistently respond to correct / appropriate threads.

Don't call someone a dunce or idiot until you figure out how to correctly use the reflexive pronoun "myself."