Fitness / goal oriented cyclists have objective means to measure progress, for example pedals or cranks which measure your actual power output. This combined wi

Fitness / goal oriented cyclists have objective means to measure progress, for example pedals or cranks which measure your actual power output. This combined with your body weight is a ubiquitous measure of progress. More expensive bikes are more comfortable and may boost your speed a bit depending on circumstance. To assume that people who decide to invest a bit in a healthy, fun activity are ignorant of such basic metrics seems pretty cynical. I would urge you to dig deeper because there is an enormous amount of value in this type of investment.