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I really cannot understand why non racing cyclists think it's important to update their bikes
The problem with that sort of statement (same goes for the Cat 4s on 10k race bikes) is where do you draw the line, in terms of tech and budget? Within reason your choice(s) are debatable and essentially down to personal preferences. A 7-speed freewheel will seem ancient to a 12-speed EPS owner, but it's a decadent and unnecessary frivolity to someone who rides a 1940s fixed wheel machine.
I'm not completely alien to the sentiment, though, I am not that fussed about the latest kit or the inability to afford it atm, since what I have works for what I do.
Lolo-
I think there would be a fairly clear line in terms of durability; so whilst a 7 speed block is more advanced than a fixed wheel, it doesn't fundamentally change the durability of a drivetrain.
Drivetrains from (9?) speed onwards has compromised durability for weight and brought little material advantages to the average cyclist. If you can't make it smoothly up a hill on 9 speed STIs, then 12 speed EPS isn't going to make a difference. Similar things with BBs, headsets, handlebar widths etc.
I don't know if it is a valid line in terms of is it a useful distinction, but I think the distinction is there.
Also @mtsdw I would theoretically suggest disc brakes, since they mean that instead of wearing out and replacing the rim you just replace the disc, but they are an ever evolving minefield of standards which is funny given the context
branwen
JamesNQ, you are essentially a man after my own heart: a different generation, yes, but basically the same thoughts.
I made a decision in the '90's that I would not modernise my kit. I was already past my prime even as a vet, so this was hardly going damage my 'career'. In the past couple of decades I have made a modest effort to ensure that I would not run out of expendable kit: for example by collecting screw on blocks and TA chain rings. This has, for really quite a modest expenditure , worked quite well so far, and in fact I now fear I won't nearly have enough time to wear out the equipment I have.
I really cannot understand why non racing cyclists think it's important to update their bikes - I can only imagine they are victims of advertising. The idea that some new piece of kit will enable you to compete with the strongest riders would forgiveable in a fourteen year old, but what can one think of an adult who believes this sort of rubbish?
So far as obsolesence is concerned, I'd just like to mention (again) here that the five pin chain ring fitting which I favour was, I believe, originally introduced by BSA in 1904, but was still available in TA and Stronglight into the 1980's. I have a (probably) pre-war BSA crank mated to a TA Cyclotouriste chainring which works perfectly in....2020!
I suspect that a lot of the silly ideas which JamesNQ complains of are caused by the failure of these riders to take part in actual bike racing, especially road racing. The experience of being in a fast moving bunch, and still more being in a break soon demonstrates that 'it's not about the bike'.