Is there a group of people on here that just ride the entry level bikes? Like bikes in the 500 dollar range?

As I read and look at the bikes people are riding, it's 1,000's of dollars. What happen to the toy store bike prices?

I know everything has gone up but I don't recall bikes ever costing as much as they do now. What is so technically different now in the 2000's that was different in the 1960's ?