What's awkward to you is not at all awkward to some others. And that's fine. All I was calling attention to was that no one saying you need to spend that kind of money to ride (we firmly believe that here) and that any bike costing more than, say, 3 grand is equivalent to a very high performance sports car. It's just a perspective.
I totally get it that for lots of people, that kind of conspicuous cost is...conspicuous. But there's also a difference between showing up to a ride and being a blow hard about your fancy bike, or showing up and not letting it be a thing. It goes both ways - if you're the type who rides a less expensive bike (or car, clothes, etc) for whatever reason, you're just as guilty if you castigate someone who decided to spend their money on it if they're not asking for it, just in reverse. We can all respect each other's decisions and life situations without it getting in the way of having fun on bikes. I have friends with more and less money than me, and it's reflected in different ways. And the ones that stay my friends are the ones that don't let financial means get in the way of more important things, like respect, character, and a good sense of humour.
All that said, I totally respect your opinion on the matter. But if you call out someone for riding a 10k bike, you may get blowback, and it may be warranted.
July 12, 2022, 4:17 p.m. - Pete Roggeman
What's awkward to you is not at all awkward to some others. And that's fine. All I was calling attention to was that no one saying you need to spend that kind of money to ride (we firmly believe that here) and that any bike costing more than, say, 3 grand is equivalent to a very high performance sports car. It's just a perspective. I totally get it that for lots of people, that kind of conspicuous cost is...conspicuous. But there's also a difference between showing up to a ride and being a blow hard about your fancy bike, or showing up and not letting it be a thing. It goes both ways - if you're the type who rides a less expensive bike (or car, clothes, etc) for whatever reason, you're just as guilty if you castigate someone who decided to spend their money on it if they're not asking for it, just in reverse. We can all respect each other's decisions and life situations without it getting in the way of having fun on bikes. I have friends with more and less money than me, and it's reflected in different ways. And the ones that stay my friends are the ones that don't let financial means get in the way of more important things, like respect, character, and a good sense of humour. All that said, I totally respect your opinion on the matter. But if you call out someone for riding a 10k bike, you may get blowback, and it may be warranted.