Originally Posted by
Trakhak
For what it's worth, the pluses and minuses associated with the various frame materials seem to be weighed a bit differently in Europe.
For example, Toga-Miyata, one of the most highly respected European bike companies, uses aluminum frames exclusively
for their touring bike line---including their "trekking" bikes, the heaviest-duty touring bikes that they sell. But they sell mostly in Europe, where touring cyclists tend to be more knowledgeable about the merits of the various frame materials, including aluminum.
In fact, Koga-Miyata offers three fork choices for their better touring bikes: carbon fiber, rigid aluminum, and aluminum suspension forks. No steel forks to be seen.
For loaded touring, one guess why aluminum is preferred over steel for their frames and forks, aside from the obvious weight advantage, is that aluminum bikes handle very well with loaded panniers---much better than steel bikes, which have an unfortunate tendency to wallow under load.
https://www.koga.com/en/bikes/trekking-bikes/collection
I agree that aluminum bikes…well, one aluminum bike…makes a better touring bike than steel but the reason is because of the way the bike is constructed. Aluminum, as a material, isn’t “stiff”. The way it is used makes it stiff. When it’s used in a touring bike, the stiffness is just enough to make the bike both less prone to frame warping under load and provide a damped ride against vibration. Steel bikes could be make equally stiff by using over sized tubing but the ride wouldn’t be damped. Without a load, an oversized tubed steel frame would be a painful ride.