Originally Posted by cyccommute

But if you ask bicycle tourist why they pick steel, high on the list is the (supposed) repairability of steel over aluminum.


So why pick heavy steel over light aluminum? I agree that people probably won’t have a frame fixed on tour so picking steel because it is “repairable” is more of a romantic notion than a reality.
The reason for the few aluminum touring bikes being offered is because of that romantic village smithy repair scenario. Bicycle tourists don’t want to buy aluminum because they think the material is inferior so aluminum touring bikes don’t get made. Because they don’t get made, people don’t buy them and steel bikes keep getting made. Gravel biking and adventure bikes are changing that but touring bicyclists are a curmudgeonly bunch.

Finally, if aluminum is as weak as you seem to think it is, do you tour on steel rimmed wheels with steel hubs? Do you tour with steel handlebars, steel cranks, all steel pedals, and steel brakes? If you fear the weakness of aluminum, why not? I’ve broken aluminum versions of almost all of them but I don’t fear that they will break on me to the point where I would trade them for steel versions.