Is saying that though there are some pieces of kit which are kind of 'flashy' but also make a big difference. For example bike shorts. I wore normal board shorts when I first started riding cos I didn't want to look like a guy with all the gear and no idea (I was the guy with no gear and no idea). It was a wet rainy day, and after an hour my butt hurt so bad, plus I had a big rash on my legs from the shorts rubbing, not to mention my cods which had changed colour too.
So $50 on a pair of riding shorts is a pretty worthy investment IMO.