Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
Having Steel and Ti bikes, I'd have to say I pretty much agree with the second post above. However, regarding No. 34 while the selection of tubing for Ti builders may be somewhat more limited, shaped, oversized, variable thickness and ovalized tubing is available in Ti if you pay for it, e.g. Merlin Extralight, Litespeed Vortex.
The reason why steel frame have not had oval shapes for decades (although they did at one time) is because anything other than a round cross-section offers either less torsional rigidity or more weight for the same stiffness.
Oval tubes are not ideal as they weigh more per unit of strength. But you can't always get round tubes of the correct diameter and/or thickness in titanium, hence the need for oval tubes.
The irony is that the oval tubes are marketed as if they are something special. In a way they are: a very expensive and less-than-ideal fix for the Achilles heal of titanium. This amounts to another example in the cycling industry where the marketing department turns science on its head--and cyclists buy it hook, line, and sinker. This is a theme I see repeated a lot.