LexB

Far surpasses in what ways?

I used to get worked up about these sorts of prices when I returned to riding after several years away, and then I went to a mtb festival back in maybe 2018 or so with friends. We were all riding a wide variety of bikes from a $10k bike down to a $3000 bike (me). My buddy on the $10k bike absolutely loves his and it would be easy to see mine as greatly lesser on so many levels. That said, my bike is no less fast with me aboard it. He and I would trade downhill leads and there was no clearly faster bike or pilot. Just old downhill racing friends hooting and holering down the trails. Clutch rear deraileurs, narrow wide chainrings, and tubeless tires are what's important to me now. Running through the woods without all of the clang and bang of our early to mid 2000's downhill and trail bikes is all I need with reasonably good suspension. The midlevel forks and shocks of today are as good or better than anything I rode before. I recently bought a Santa Cruz Megatower which is WAY more bike that I ever imagined buying. Seemed overpriced but my wife told me to spend it and treat myself after some hard times. Is it better than my other 2017 bike? Sure. Will I ride both? definitely. Run what you brung and have fun. If you're a fast rider and you care about being fast, you'll be fast on a bike with slightly "outdated" geometry and suspension.

@just6979: I wonder if having a husband for your coach came off as a budget double dip as well. That is if he was eventually seeing Trek team money through her. There's nothing inherently wrong with hiring someone competent regardless of the relationship, but it could be perceived as a conflict if the money ends up in the same account. Not sure who else he coaches or if she's his one client. All speculation. I wish her luck and I suspect she'll do reasonably well anywhere she goes. I've really enjoyed watching the level of competition in the women's XC these last few years. Very exciting racing from them.

@TheR: Haha! It's funny you mentioned that. In a blind test against violins of mythic proportions some great players actually preferred the new school of violins. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/million-dollar-strads-fall-modern-violins-blind-sound-check

I'm definitely getting older and I know I'm more of a curmudgen than ever but $2700?! I had taken some time away from riding at one point, but what year was it when we crashed onto the main drag of crazy town? Yeah yeah. I know. Carbon fiber. High-tech. Bla bla bla. Who out there that works a regular job and maybe even has a family is buying this stuff? I know everyone makes the jokes about dentists and such, but really who is the market? Do people want this sort of thing so badly that they'll pauper themselves to get it? I just don't get who is buying his stuff. I almost died financially buying my first downhill race bike way back when, and I got that on clearance in a sweetheart deal from a local shop dying to be rid of it. A $5000ish DH bike then was a pinnacle. Now people are talking upwards of $10k for a bike to go for a trail ride. I just can't get my brain around it. I've officially become old :(

@SnowshoeRider4Life: What about Bruni's suspension setup is noticeably better than anyone else at that level? Do you mean the bike and suspension components, or how he's setting them up?

The XC tracks are certainly no cakewalk (in some cases), but does he have Martin Maes, Sam Hill, or Richie Rude level descending skills? Obviously fitness is huge, but when up against those guys does that massive overall fitness really help? They're already pushing the limits of what's even possible for speed and line choice, so being fit can only have so much of an impact. Hm. Hopefully we get to find out. :)

@k1creeker: I don’t think we would have worked together, but i suspect many graphic design professionals encounter the same things. What’s interesting is that I reread the job description and the whole first part I’m nodding my head thinking, “Sounds like a great job!” It reads like a very nice branding, and traditional design position. Tradeshows, advertising, print media, etc. Then it all explodes in the qualifications section when they toss in the chefs salad of stuff that should be whole other positions to address specific needs. Weird.

@k1creeker: I've been in the design field for 20+ years doing everything from the lowest of low work to running a team of multiple designers working within a large fortune 500 company. People just can't seem to understand that one person can't do all of these things. In my experience the web designers are average or terrible visual designers. The graphic designers I employ and manage might have some experience and understanding of the web side, but nothing on the level of what most employers want/need. Video? That's a whole other department. We all work together to accomplish the needs of the business, but no one person will ever be able to do it all well.

@retep1: Absolutely. All of my posts have just been pointing out how EVERY possible choice has negatives whether people realize it or not. That's not to say oil, gas, and coal are suddenly the best choice. I just think people need to stop fooling themselves that these other options are somehow going to fix things. When I read that article about lithium ion batteries it made me feel ill. How many batteries have been dumped in the ground already? How many will be there in the next 20 years. The waste stream needs to be defined and enforced if that's possible. I'm no better than anyone else, so I hope I don't come off as if I'm preaching. We're all on board together.