I never knew getting a steel MTB frame could be so difficult. The stores around here really don't carry much and it's all special order. My husband decided to surprise me for my bday with an Ionic frame, but it didn't arrive on time so he just told me. Well, their service wasn't the greatest (kept telling us one more week) so we cancelled. We went to our lbs and decided on the salsa. They were on back order but were exptected to be available on the 22nd (according to Salsa). Well, the lbs just called and said the 17" frame wouldn't be available until Jan!!! That is such a long wait for a frame that isn't even custom! I expected to get it in about one month. Now, we're investigating other options...If I'm going to wait 5-6 months for a frame, might as well go custom!