you dont need to know about steel per se... like one needs not be a chemist and understand rubber compounds to shop for tires. and presumably youre not shopping purely on the basis of tubing.

one thing to consider is how you are building up the bike - vintage or modern components? if the latter, think about the spacing of the rear dropouts. (although steel can easily take a bit of stretching). also, threaded or threadless steerer? determines whether you use classic quill stem or modern ones (arguably uglier)



lastly, dont forget the gios gran torino with the coined fork crown... this baby is just as iconic as a celeste bianchi