Quote Originally Posted by salsabike View Post
Steel bikes are NOT heavier than aluminum bikes, since the tubes on aluminum bikes have to be fatter to get the frame strength the same. My Bianchi Eros Donna (steel) weighs about 21-22 pounds. My Specialized Sirrus (aluminum) weighed about 21-22 pounds. I LOVE the Eros Donna, by the way.
Hey Salsa: The reason that aluminum tubes are oversized is because the material is not as strong as steel so in order to make the bike strong enough laterally, etc., they oversize the tubes. This engineering makes the tube strong enough and enables the thickness of the aluminum in the tube to be less. Just because they look bigger, does not mean that they are heavier. In most cases, an aluminum bike is not heavier than a steel. I will not say that some steel bikes may be lighter than some aluminum bikes, but on general, steel is heavier. A lighter weight steel bike may be weaker due to the fact that they must decrease the thickness of the steel in the tube. For instance, the old Bridgestone Zip (mountain bike) which was touted to be one of the lightest steel mountain bikes of its time was a "one race season bike" because it would fatigue due to the thiness of the tubing and would not stand up to the stressors applied to it.

Anyway, back to the question: I like carbon very much. I like the feel of the ride. I like the way it makes climbing so much easier cause of the less weight, etc. I ride a Giant TCR with Dura Ace components and Mavic Cyrium (I can never remember how to spell that word) SSL wheels. It is a full on race bike, but I ride it for everything and it is very comfortable for me. I ride a small. They make an x-small too. My friend rides a Giant OCR more laid back geometry. This might be the better bike for you, but you should ride them and see what you like.

I rode a steel Bridgestone RB 1 for years and loved that bike as well. It had laid back touring geometry so it was very stable and forgiving. So, just go out and ride the bikes and see how you like them.