Geometry makes a difference, as do wheel choice and tires.

I've had both a Lemond Alps de Huez and a Trek 5800 OCLV in here at the same time.

Two guys were both looking for used bikes at the same time, and those are what I found for them on CL.
They brought them in for fitting, tuneup, pretty much getting them ready to go.

Other then the noise made when shifting, they rode pretty much the same, to me.
Light, strong, stiff, and very agile bikes. I probably preferred the Lemond geometry.

So, to summarize, if I can't tell between carbon and 853, I definitely can't tell between steels, other than weight.