The Gods of marketing are to blame. It's all about the price point. What'r ST's going for, brand new? 10K? Imagine the added cost of Brembo brakes, Ohlins suspension, Marchese (sp) wheels, etc. You also keep in mind that quite a few people are not carving canyons on a daily basis, or whatever so they don't really have a need for top of the line components. There are several people who have said the bike is fine for them as Hinkley has offered it.
That said, I'm still gonna look into Racetech!
