Originally Posted by CrimsonEclipse
The biggest advantage of steel is the failure mode.
Steel will bend before it breaks and Aluminum will crack and break.
Thus the steel will likely bend if overstressed and the Aluminum will break with
little or no warning (same goes for Ti). I have 2 Al frames and 2 steel frames.
I prefer the steel.
Also, a steel frame can be repaired easier via welding and is more resistant
to damage like dents and over stress.
CE
Carbon fiber has the same failure mode as aluminum-- one moment, everything is fine, the next moment, you're doing a face plant. If you want a safe failure mode, steel forks will bend instead of shattering.