social aspects of cycling

I'm an avid cyclist and commute all year round. But while in winter I do it out of necessity, my heart belongs to the road - pedalling away those miles on the highway.
And yet, I ride a 150 used touring bike. It's an exellent choice for its price, while a decent bike in this category would cost no less 1500, mine ain't 10 times slower.
Having skirted the price issue, I've come to realize that cycling is an expensive sport when comes to maintanance. People who own bikes are mostly upper middle claSS and normally don't balk at paying a 100 dollars for a relatively minor repair. And bike shops capitalize on that.
That's why the guys at the United Cycle had the audicity to charge about 90 CAD for the brake replacement and lubrication. The ridiculousness of this is reinforced by the fact that the bike itself costed no more than 150 when bought new.

Current mood: feeling cheated.