Originally Posted by
Retro Grouch
The first question that a prospective buyer asks is "How much does it weigh?" Steel weighs more.
I still have a copy of the Trek 1997 catalog, the last year Trek build large numbers of steel framed bikes and the last year they listed comparative weights for all their models.
At the same price point, the steel framed bikes were lighter. At the same weight, the steel framed bikes cost less.
The frame - of course - makes up only a (small) part of the weight of the entire bicycle. It turns out to be less expensive to save weight in the components and wheels of a bicycle than in the frame. In general, only when a bicycle is using near the top grade of components with budget left over can the other frame materials be used effectively to produce a lighter complete bicycle.
The lightest possible bike with, say, 105 components, will probably have a Ti or CF frame. The lightest possible $2000 bike will probably have a steel frame.
Best,
tcs