I agree with the exception of you being surprised that folks will spend 5000E on a road bike. Of all my discretionary purchases my custom roadbike might well be my happiest. A well fitting allroad bike can take you to the grocery store or up a gravel road to a mountain pass and make both journeys joyful. I'm on mine most days to do something practical made fun and healthy and sustainable, too : )
Even the stock stuff could easily cost $12k or more, before upgrades. On a bike that probably would've been half that pre-covid, and maybe 5 lbs lighter than a $1.2k bike.
