You should probably specify if he just likes the equipment, or if he uses it to brag and misrepresent himself. I can imagine there are people with carbon and dura ace/record simply so they can tell people they are a great cyclist. People that throw on a full kit on their $5,000+ carbon bike and ride around the park every day "doing recovery rides", just so they get the looks and tell people how expensive their bike is, and how fast they are.
If he just does it because he likes the equipment, than I think it's fine.
-Matt
Simply put, the guy doesn't know how to change an inner tube. I don't think it's his affinity for engineering. I guess I should stop worrying about it though. Its his money after all.
I will tell you that my long-term experience with people like this is that they are the ones who stop being a cyclist long before everyone else. The novelty of having an expensive bike wears off after a while and they realize that they've been fooling themselves so they quit. Keep tabs on this guy, you might be able to buy a very nice bike at a discounted price.
