My case in point is the winter Olympics recently. If you were watching, you got to see Bode Miller a favorite fail to medal in every event. Then there was the snowboard cross queen who could not rank first because of an attempt to showboat. These individuals got more airtime than probably all of the winners combined. It is the pain we are after.

My passion for pain comes from riding my bike . I will go out for hours just to see how far I can push myself. It is a true rush to feel that extra mile you put in, or to know that you made it the entire way despite being tired and hungry. The sport has become mainstream, which I never thought would happen. Have you checked out the cost of wheels lately? You could buy a set of new tires for your car at this price. True you could argue that this is to make the rider more comfortable and handle better, but in reality the light the bike the more it becomes a struggle against yourself. Lighter tires mean less road resistance, so if you cannot take the pain and make the hill, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Then there is another camp entirely who see the products available on the market as life saving. They assume that with the latest gear they will be more fit and able to ride longer. Weight reduction of the bike only goes so far as your ability will take you. Of two riders who have the same ability, only the person with the lighter rig will win, but this is only if they have equal levels of fitness.

We root for the guy or girl who can say he accomplished more because of skill and hard work, than their purchasing power. Next time you are in a store looking at products thinking that the carbon fiber titanium alloy material will get you there with more grace, pick up the heaviest component you can find. It feels good to carry a little weight on your shoulder every now and then.