Originally Posted by
shelbyfv
You're unlikely to be able to walk into a shop and see any variety of steel frames on the floor. Put enough thought into it to know what geometry and features you want, then order what you like. Many more choices, even used. Unlike carbon, a used steel frame is not necessarily a crap shoot. Best of luck!
This is unfortunately the answer. A lot of steel is only sold as framesets now. There are some completes available but most shops don't stock them because they aren't big sellers. So even if you want to walk into a shop and buy a steel bike you'll probably have to special order it which means you'll still be buying it sight unseen. The exception I've seen are some entry level bikes and bike packing/touring bikes at REI.