Hello, I was having this discussion with another cyclist, who is very experienced and more than capable, whilst I am only 4 months into cycling to paint the picture here.. Anyway I asked him if he had a twin brother, identical in every way in terms of weight, muscular strength and cardio endurance, however the only difference is that this brother rode a $400 alloy 10-11 kg bike, and he rode a $5500 full carbon 6.5-7.5kg bike, how much difference would there be in terms of performance, in particular, time and speed, not so much interested in the comfort stakes here.. Just performance.. Is the difference really worth it, if u are a ride who rides 1-2 a week, or if u ride 200 km a week, to a guy who races in competitions every other weekend... When does it get to the point where u simply have to have this $5500 beast?? Love some thoughts on this. I'd like to have a Mercedes luxury sedan, however my Ford sedan does everything that I need it for... The price difference is simply too great, and certainly would not even consider spending thousands extra for better seats, or nice interior to better duco!! What should u expect from in terms of what the $5500 or more carbon bike is giving you, that the $400 isn't?