another way to think about it is this -- you could say to someone, "don't complain about your bike -- just lose 10 lbs and you'll get to your destination faste

another way to think about it is this -- you could say to someone, "don't complain about your bike -- just lose 10 lbs and you'll get to your destination faster than you would by changing your bike". yeah ok, but like losing weight is easy (actually it is if you bike a lot, hehe). but if you put that person on a walmart beater and compare their commute with a carbon bike, they sure as hell will report a difference, even if the clock doesn't. the point is that we are concerned with getting people on bikes and moving their bodies, not about time trials (which ironically is where fast bikes are marketed, because the premise is that it doesn't matter for everyone else. maybe it does!) does it matter enough to spend 10k on a carbon bike today? well that depends on your finances. but when they are cost competitive? yes, please.