When I started this thread I was thinking about things of a mechanical nature as I wrote off a new-ish tyre simply by rolling over a bit of plastic while dodging pedestrians who had stepped onto the road. It wasn't a cheap tyre but the side-walls were rubbish. It made me reflect on how my confidence, comfort and speed while riding are affected by this single choice. But as you've pointed out there is so much more to cycling! Much of what has been said reflects my own experience too.