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@youramericanlover
OK I'll rise to this. What Lynchman seems to be complaining about is 'buying a lifestyle'. And yes I agree with him (although probably for different reasons). I don't know about the old days, but now it's completely acceptable and super easy to simply purchase a lifestyle. Name virtually anything you want to become and there is a guide with all the things you need to buy to become that thing.
And that's what most people do now - or are at least encouraged to do. Instead of integrating some activity into their life and then sort of unconsciously find that they and a lot of possessions have been deeply affected by it, they buy all the shit as an indicator that this activity has been integrated in without it have actually done so. And it's transparent and bullshit and people call you on it - and of course I've done this myself. It's part of the reason why LFGSS hate on fat dudes on Cervelos in Richmond, urban bombproof fixeis for £200, fakengers, etc etc. But this extends way beyond bikes and it's basically inescapable in modern life no matter the activity.
So the answer to your problem is this: find a good bike you like, ride the fuck out of it and stop giving a shit what people think. You'll find that all the other shit drops away almost instantly. I rode with 20 other dudes to Oxford on the weekend all either fixed or SS (just about). Do you think any of us were racked with self-doubt about whether or not we were buying into a consumer-culture accessory? No. We were just riding our bikes and it was awesome. Do the same and you'll find you won't have to justify what you've bought to yourself or anyone else .
TL;DR
Get on your bike and enjoy it. Not giving a fuck will make everything much clearer to you.