This thread has brought up a rather heated debate btwn steel vs aluminum frames. Most of the stuff that is aluminum is more than I feel like spending so thats out. As far as Al bars spontaneously failing, I don't buy that. That comment mtn... made will make me look for signs of fatigue on the bars before I start riding the bike hard. I've never had Al spontaneously fail (I have 30+yo Al rims on my '67 bug and there are no issues), but it can bend and crack so its up to the operator to periodically inspect components. So what I've gained from this thread is that lugged frames tend to be stronger, cottered cranks have more maintenance issues, but can work fine and Al rims tend to stop better and are more desirable than steel. The only (right now) I'm still not sure of is some people seem to frown upon stem shifters vs DT shifters. Why? Compared to all the different car sites that I'm on, you guys/ girls have been the most helpful and friendly group I've come across. Thanks for all your help!