genejockey 

Since I collect both wrist and pocket watches, I routinely wear/carry one of each. Redundant? Of course! Maybe even a silly affectation. But, you know, I'm old enough not to give a crap.

"The man with one watch always knows the time. The man with two watches is never certain."

genejockey 

Gaining 1 mph is not a few seconds. Assuming 20 mph vs 19, after an hour it's over 3 minutes.

wolfchild

Those 3 minutes are irrelevant unless somebody is getting paid to win races.

genejockey 

What a ridiculous thing to say! As if a desire to go farther with less effort isn't a perfectly valid goal! A goal which, I'd remind you, you yourself seek when your ride your bike rather than walking.

NoWhammies

TL;DR To answer the question in the title of the post, the bike is worth the money to the person who is purchasing the bike. The person did the cost/benefit analysis and for them, the $14k is a good investment. Now. Will the $14k make them a better rider? Probably not. BUT, if the bike gets them out and exercising more, and they get more enjoyment out of the ride after shelling out $14k, then the money was most definitely worth it.

To each their own, as the saying goes.

TiHabanero

We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better, stronger, faster.

Why? The same "why" we climb mountains. Really no point to it other than "we can".

Sy Reene

But, but.. you'd get more exercise with a heavier and likely cheaper bike.

tomato coupe

Yeah, I also have only 4 fields on my main page. I put the stuff I need to know less frequently, including the time of day, on a second page.

The world would be a dull place if everyone had the same preferences.

Since you collect watches, it's like wearing two little pieces of art.

genejockey 

genejockey 

Every time I think to look at the next page, I hit the wrong button, so I don't bother anymore.

And everything would be very expensive.


And since I service them myself, also two little pieces of me.

big john

What if someone doesn't care about going faster and they just want to have the more expensive bike? Would that be ok?

Some people assume that everything is always done to go faster. Some riders just want to buy a bike they like. Why does it matter to anyone else how much they spend? What if they just hang it on the wall and look at it? Is that ok? Are they then stupid?

We'll have to decide on a number, a monetary amount that is acceptable for others to spend and still be good doctors, still be not stupid. Would it be $3? How about $5000? Certainly not $14K, that is just too much.

Koyote

If I could gain 1-2 mph by spending an extra $9k, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But it doesn’t actually work like that.

Koyote

My father and grandfather left me some fancy watches. What a curse! Keeping them running properly was an expensive proposition. The fanciest was a mechanical chronograph. I wore it for about 25 years, with occasional service. Some years ago, I spent $622 on its last (for me) overhaul and then gave it to my nephew. Good riddance.

Lombard

You will save weight with a $14,000 bike because your wallet will be much lighter.

veganbikes

Well only if they aren't my preferences, we would have some really awesome bikes and some delicious whiskey and plenty of delicious cake and donuts! I will even make a $200 bike for wolfy and uneasyryda it will do everything somehow.

Kontact 

I wasn't being serious about a buying tactic as much as pointing out how much value is lost on these crazy expensive new bikes.

But you can probably get a smoking deal on a second gen Venge right now, if that's your jam. But some people are convinced they need the "cutting edge" and the Joneses are worth a new Kia.

Camilo

And what kind of 2 stroke lube is the best?

Camilo

How many times does it need to be said: cost of materials, research, manufacturing, etc. does not set the price at which things sell. Except that it sets a price below which the company can't make the profit margin they want. The stuff you list only impacts that, not the actual selling price.

Camilo

Why? Maybe they just like to ride a really nice bike and can afford it. I find it hilarious that people are so naive as to project their own values and criteria onto others.

Kontact 

+1. The difference in material costs between Ultegra and DA is probably $29.

Camilo

You really think that bike races are won by the best equipment? That equipment trumps fitness+raw ability? Funny. All pros have the very best equipment available. Therefore, equipment has nothing to do with it.

Tell us. Tell us that the equipment won the race, not the rider.

Everyone who isn't as discerning as you is brainwashed. I get it. Thanks.

Camilo

I agree.
I'm no millennial (born in the early 50s!!) haven't worn a wristwatch in probably 10-15 years, maybe 20 now. It is extremely rare as to be approaching never that I need to know the time and don't have a clock within a glance at all times: home, office (before I retired), on the computer, on my bike, in the car, and as a last resort, I usually have my phone out, but it takes 1.0 seconds to pull it out of my pocket. I might admit that "time" isn't always readily available when I'm skiing (Nordic or Alpine), but if I'm concerned about time, I take a look at my phone and then figure it out from there. Wrist watches are unnecessary for me and I never liked wearing them even before I started carrying a phone in my pocket.

Camilo

I have this obscure little known device on my handlbars for about the last 30 years that tells time as well as mileage and speed! You can look it up on the internet and find one, I'll bet.

Camilo

Or as I used to do: at my office so I didn't have to haul one back and forth to take a quick ride at lunch if I had the chance. I also have multi-redundancy with floor pumps: one in my garage with my bikes, one in my car, one in my wife's car, one at my office (when I worked) and now one in my trailer-pulling pickup stored out of state. We also dedicate helmets and shoes to the truck (old helmets, old shoes, still functional) We're about to dedicate bikes to the truck so we don't have to haul them back and forth every time we fly south to use it. None of these redundant items are top shelf/expensive versions of whatever they are.

I also have a fully equipped saddle bag on every single bike we own (8) even though theoretically one could move one from one bike to another. Until you get to your ride and have forgotten it. Not worth it to me.

Convenience is worth redundancy sometimes.

Camilo

What if speed is irrelevant to the purchaser? Note my signature.