Is it ever the bike?

[alexis_the_tiny]

It just came up in conversation one day, someone asked me if I was sure that my utter lack of progress in getting a faster average speed on a bike (still stuck under 30km/h after 6 months) wasn't because of my bike.

I'm of two minds about this. On one hand, the amount of thought that went into buying my road bike was "Oh, look, a 44cm frame and for 800 bucks. Sold!" and my first mountain bike was also a terrible ride until I traded it up for something else. On the other hand, the words "a bike is only as good as its rider" are still ringing loud and clear in my ears.

What do you guys think? Is it ever the bike, even after fit is factored in?