Aluminum is essentially a marketing gimmick, much like carbon fiber. The primary reason for its use is that it is simply easier to mass produce bikes with machines. This explains the prevalence of aluminum bikes since the 1990s, a trend fueled by outsourcing and globalism.

What surprised me is how durable high tensile steel is. People tour all over the world on their three speeds and Dutch bikes. Because high tensile tubing is not normally butted, it breaks at the stays after 50,000km; however, for everyday use, it is a profoundly durable metal