How much $ and why

I'm actually hoping for a 5% increase in bike speed this year

Where is this bike located?

x2. It's all relative and not really my business.

But the real question is: was it red?

Clearly not, if it had been red, it would have been a 25% increase in speed.

Heck, you can buy shelf bikes for $15K and of course custom for way more than that ...

As for me, apparently the answer is $700, and that's because that's what I was able to afford at the time, and any other time I would have been able to afford more, there were other high-dollar things I wanted to spend the money on (like overseas trips).

And the $700 bike is doing me just fine. Heck, it's almost as good as the free mountain bike

I could not agree more. I have always believed that it is all relative.

It was grey so obviously not worth the $.

Do  you think there's a psychological advantage to having an expensive/sexy/possibly red bike?  i.e. If you believe you're gonna be faster, you're gonna be faster

A Tri bike is supposed to generate more power from your legs and at the same time help save your legs for the run.  So a Tri bike costs more than a road bike that is similar.  Now you want a carbon bike because it is lighter and we all know lighter means faster....right?  That costs more than an aluminum bike.  Now that bottom of the line carbon Tri bike needs new wheels to make it even lighter.  New carbon aero bars to make it lighter.  Anything with carbon in the name makes it more expensive.  So I am guessing that $9,000 bike has top of the line accessories on it.  All that adds up quickly.  I have seen $15,000 bikes at bike shops.

Me....I bought an older model new Tri bike for half the money and plan on adding to it as I go.

It's a scientific fact that red is faster because of the doppler effect. As you break away in a race, the red shift makes it look even redder, thus disheartening your opponent.

How do you justify a bigger house, a faster car, a more expensive camera lens, etc. ? (assuming you are not a professional in a related field) 

Anybody can buy anything he/she wants just because he/she wants to as long as he/she has the money . 

And if you don't...well...this is America, you can still buy it

I fixed it for ya, it's the America way!!

Right at $6000.00.......because I can.

The Donald Trump of Tri

Because for some people $9,000 doesn't need any justification. I was at Hermes in Las Vegas over the weekend and saw a hoody sweatshirt for $2,400....you honestly think someone who buys something like that is justifying how awesome that hoody sweatshirt is?

If that amount of money is the difference between making your mortgage or not, then yeah, you better have some good justification behind a purchase that big....To some, it's dinner with a couple bottles of Screaming Eagle.

haha this thread reminds me of this youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47cGzu6-q40

"So let me get this straight, you spend $10,000 on a bike, to enter races where you won't win any money?"

"Yes, but i do get great waterbottles and t-shirts, which i use to clean my bike."