The voice of reason, thank you!You act like there's something wrong with the owner of that bike only being interested in XC race-style riding... How is that somehow not the same level of lameness as all the kids that swing from Sam Hill's nuts and don't even own a bike that can be pedaled on flat ground?
Except for the Tune saddle all of the stuff on that bike is perfectly fine for xc racing, even on gasp technical trails.
Mountainbiking is broader than your personal definition, and people don't have to see eye to eye on bikes, trails, or riding partners...
I blame the media
It's not what you ride, it's whether you ride.
My collection runs from super XC-Weenie hardtail/duallies, to trail bikes, to longer-travel stuff. They're all fun to ride in their own way.
Plus some people get a kick out of building up bikes for fun, "how light can I make it?" Etc. My old coworker and I used to get in "wars" with out bikes when we worked at the same company, he was always claiming lighter, but I rode a size L, and he had an XL, so he was full of s***!
And that guy with the custom-painted Foes? He's one of the reasons that Foes can be in business to makes bikes at all. If he's got the money, I have no problem with him buying a fleet of custom Foes bikes, and I'll bet that the shop he bought it from doesn't either.