Originally Posted by
rydabent
I say again, more money gets better equipment up to a point that is usually mid point. After that you get very little increase in performance or bang for the buck. After that mid point you are mainly buying name and hype.
Those little increases are very important to some people and not the least bit important to others. And, in many cases, those decisions (in this age group) are made independently of whether or not there is any financial impact to the buyer. Plus, if those little increases, or that little bit of status, make the individual want to keep the bike longer it could be a wise financial decision (given used bikes hold very little value in relationship to purchase price).