For the actual "average" person coming into the sport....you arent buying your way into massive improvements. You just aren't. You arent running 12:00/mi and then buying nike super shoes and running 9:30/mi. You arent getting a $20k super bike and going from 15mph to 19.2mph. You are going to get 1.2mph faster type of "improvement" (which is a lot). Your not going to swim 2:10/100yd and buy a wetsuit and suddenly in ows in an non-downhill swim, swim 1:50/100yd paces. Like you arent going to buy yourself that type of improvements. Yes buying "free speed" is a real thing. There's no denying that. I'm with you though that a for the 1st time avg newb athlete coming into the sport, they aren't going to "buy" themselves into massive improvements. Like a truly average athlete is simply going to get faster by S-B-R training.

Whether running 12:00 min/mi or 11:42 min/mi, your limiter isn't going to be "I need to buy my way into improvements"....it will be "I need to train".

And also this idea that the avg person will get demotivated by all the great equipment when they are on their huffy so that'll keep them out of the sport long term....guess what, that person doenst give 2 fucks about your super bike. They will be smiling and likely a hell a lot more happy than half the people out there, and they don't give s shit about their AG finish. Just go to a local race and watch the last half hour of events. Those people are emotional about the race, they don't care about their equipment limitations.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II