At some point I was actually trying to help a friend in Poland to acquire a full-size bike for everyday riding, within a moderate budget. Any major restoration was out of question due to the limited time available on my part and limited skills of the friend. My leaning was towards a steel frame so that it would be a long-term acquisition. The paradox, that emerged, was that it was practically impossible to get a decent steel bike there, neither in shops that had second-hand bikes nor from craiglist type ads. Even new steel bikes were an astounding challenge, with possible astronomically priced orders, relative to local income, without any trial. This seemingly reflected the history of the bike market there. The current market seemed to be flooded with alu, a lot not appealing to me at all.

I solved the problem by buying a used steel Trek in the US and handing it over to someone going there. The total costs ended up being up OK, the goal was met, and the action seemed to involve less time directly dedicated to the issue. I mean it quite literally. The friend later mentioned encountering other such Treks even though the brand was likely not there in the market during the respective period - apparently other people just had an idea similar to mine.