A 2000kg car can produce 200hp, or 10 kg/hp. A 100 kg man + bike combo will produce 1/3 hp, so 300 kg/hp. The bikes are underpowered and every bit of extra perf

A 2000kg car can produce 200hp, or 10 kg/hp. A 100 kg man + bike combo will produce 1/3 hp, so 300 kg/hp. The bikes are underpowered and every bit of extra performance is very welcome. A bike manufacturer cannot produce a better man, but they can keep optimizing the bike itself and they will keep doing it until even the wealthiest customers balk at the cost. Which is why the best gear is out of reach for most people. You can easily purchase a bike that is not that heavily optimized - they are $100 a pop in Walmart. The details of these optimizations are numerous and elaborate, but they are only a consequence of the weight/power balance.