more affordable steel?
Not sure if it is appropriate to say this here but just trying to help.
I could get handmade, custom geometried Columbus Spirit Tubed frames for a tad less than $900. They will even send you autocad PDF's for your approval before committing to manufacture. However you gotta factor shipping from Beijing where I am at the moment.
Designer's and builder's from Holland by the name of Jan Kole.
Cheers.
David