I have an aluminum cross bike with CF seat stays that I'm going to tour on, albeit a lightweight CC tour. Personally, I think a lot of the appeal for steel is a relatively low price and ease of repair in remote locations. There are a lot of options depending what you want to do with it. Not to be critical, but the OP's question is like asking if car xyz is any good - if it's a large SUV for a single person living in SF, probably not, but then a VW bug probably won't work for a large household living in a rural location with a long dirt driveway. Different vehicles for different needs, even though people often make choices because appearance or style.