Originally Posted by a1penguin

I feel sorry for the OP who just wanted a bit of advice on what bike to purchase. And I'm tired of posts that seem to indicate that purchasing an aluminum bike will lead to a broken bike (or worse) in no time at all. For the level of questions in the commuting and hybrid forums frame material is.... immaterial. The amount of force one is going to apply to the frame and/or components is not likely to cause breakage.

Hey Eugene: Purchase THE BIKE THAT FITS. Forget what it's made out of. Aluminum or steel will both be fine bikes.