I rented a Western-made, prestige-brand road bike about 5 years ago and it blew my mind with how nice it was and I ended up buying an entry level road bike (made in the Far East of course) and then upgrading most of the parts over time, except the frame.

This summer I rented an even higher-prestige, Western-made road bike hoping to see what I was missing and it was basically like my own bike, except the shifting made cool noises because it was electronic and the wheels felt slightly less precise in their handling, and of course the brand stenciled on the downtube inspired fear and respect from the other freds.

I'm feeling kind of lost now, I thought bikes would just keep getting infinitely better. Especially a bike made by white Westerners in a rich country. It had to be better right? What went wrong? What do I do? I need to consume.

Should I build up a Winspace? Hambini said Winspace is good. Their latest frame costs what my whole bike cost before I started slapping nicer stuff on it. I bet a Winspace would be better than the high-status Westoid brands I'm used to, right? Imagine how much better my life would be if I had a Winspace.

Yes, I think that's it. I'm going to get myself a Winspace. The secret is in the East.