I think the cost has something to do with it too. On the internet we all start out on a level playing field. If anyone knows our financial status it's only because we told them. Unlike pulling up to the LBS in a BMW wearing a tailored suit vs. a rusty beat up Subaru (in my experience, the guy in the rusty Subaru has the nicest bike in town and the guy in the BMW is cheap! ha!), it sort of levels things out.
So we all tend to 'project' ourselves on one another, and assume a $5,000 bicycle means the same thing for all of us. It stands to reason that there are people on here for whom $5,000 is a significant, but not earth shattering purchase. There are others for whom it's a drop in the bucket. Still others who would have to work overtime, pinch pennies, and eat ramen for a year to have that kind of liquidity.
One example is a topic some time ago in which I saw someone asking about carbon framesets and were bashed because in a crash, the carbon is more susceptible to damage. "But what you can afford to replace" was the addage. But there was no implication about what the poster could afford to replace, they didn't even specify a budget. Now that very well may have been solid advice; in fact it probably was. BUT, it's also possible that this individual COULD afford to replace a carbon frame. My primary care physician rides Carbon bikes and doesn't keep 'em long enough to brake them anyway. At the rate he replaces his bikes with the newest, flashiest model; he probably CAN afford to replace them if they were damaged. No amount of wealth makes throwing money away to fix something you broke not sting, but it's certainly easier for others.
I'm still pretty young, so I hope y'all don't mind me snooping the 50+ thing. But my income has changed quite a bit in the last 3 years. Tends to happen when you get established in your career and go from being a minimum wage graduate student to a professional in your field. So it's amazing to catch myself scoffing at someone being 'cheap' about something when, in reality, I would've made the same decision 3 years ago.
I hear the same stuff. And I've gotten it too. I'm on the 'cheaper' end, certainly. And I've reasoned that my motivation for cycling is to get and stay fit, for which it's doing an excellent job. So an aluminum frameset and entry/mid level groupset suits me fine. I've been told that "not racing is a lame excuse for not being as fast as possible". Which is pretty lame indeed. We all have different goals. And it's not just about money, but priority. My wife manages close to 500 rental properties. Ranging from two mobile home parks to large homes. The home next to mine cost $8.5m to build (before you get any ideas, no, mine is nowhere NEAR that), complete with marble floors and an olympic size swimming pool and a pool house just a little smaller than my house. The owner owns a major hardware store chain. He also has a couple track cars, high end Porsche's (his favorite brand). His daily driver? A 2004 Ford Focus. Priorities. His fun track cars (pulled around with an old pickup truck) cost $100k+, and it's not worth it to him to upgrade his Ford Focus. It still runs right? And my wife has tenants who live in $200/month homes driving brand new cars and expensive high end pickups. There's nothing wrong with either, but there's someone somewhere who probably thinks there is. It's all priorities and budget. Likewise, just because someone has cash doesn't mean that cycling is their top priority.
I went with my stepdad to pick up a used motorcycle he bought from a flawless example of a modern hipster. Man bun, he was a barista, and he showed up to his house (after us, he was late) on a fixie bicycle wearing a sweatshirt and board shorts. His car was a station wagon covered in vegan minded bumper stickers and political stickers, and rust. 12~15 year old volkswagen. Small but well kept home. He opened his garage to reveal the BMW Sport Touring bike we were after, AND three other bicycles including a specialized S-Works and a gorgeous Cervelo. (Sorry, I don't know more than that, all I know is what the stickers on the side say). Obviously, different priorities! His bikes might've cost more than his home.
At the end of the day, this is the internet. And the only thing you need to know about the internet, is that you're wrong.