When people learn that I ride the bike the first thing they ask is what bike that is. Same happens when they see my pictures, the first question is what camera do I use. Or my favorite "...my camera does not take good pictures, I need a new one". Bikes and cameras are just tools. Buying good piano will not make you a musician. If you want to take a good pictures, ride the bike faster or do something else well, learn and practice.
It always amazes me how much really goes into simple process of bike riding. There are a lot of people who can ride the bike, but very few who know how.
Once I rode hooked up with a mountain bike racer who was getting his road miles in (I guess they have to). He was exactly 20 years younger and that much stronger. But I had no problem riding with him because he was not a road rider. He had no idea how to use the road profile and where to be at what moment. He did basically not know how to ride, his position was awkward, his pedaling style was crude. It was almost comical.
Same with cameras. Just like Lance's bike will not make you faster, getting expensive photo equipment will not make your pictures better. Getting a good training advise from a coach will do wonders to your riding. Even basic learning about picture taking will do wonders to your photography.
