Originally Posted by
Koyote
I'm not sure that's always correct.
A friend damaged the top tube of his cf MTB frame, and the repair was only a few hundred dollars. If it'd TIG welded steel, it would've cost less to buy a new frame, most likely. Even a lugged steel frame is pretty expensive to repair.
I think it is correct. This is the reason that people who tour on bicycle chose steel because it's the only material that even a person with a simple welder can repair, be it anywhere in the world, you won't see that happening with any other frame material, especially CF or TI. Even in the US you still have to send the CF somewhere for the repair, whereas a local person could fix a steel bike.