Originally Posted by
BadgerOne
This is a difficult problem, because you're dealing with one point of reference. For one, carbon can have a muted feel which may have given you the impression that it was 'dead' feeling. Other carbon can kick you in the nads. All depends on layup and design. I have both Ti and steel bikes, and it still comes down to design more than anything. All else being equal (and it never is), two steel bikes, one made from butted 853 and the other made of generic CrMo 'gas pipe' are going to ride and respond night and day differently. A great steel bike is a thing of wonder, yet even better (IMO only) is a great Ti bike which has all the great steel qualities except even more lively feeling. Even modern aluminum frames can have a great ride and feel, though a lot more rarely in my experience.
Bottom line you have to swing a leg over everything you can find to compare, which is impossible right now. You may even consider a domestically made steel bike from a small builder. Good luck, there are a lot of choices out there.
Thanks for the response. However, the geometry that works for me is the reason I go custom. A comparable stock bike would be a 61-62cm "endurance" frame, and I'm not necessarily looking for the endurance fit. Even when there aren't supply issues virtually no bike shop stocks frames that large. The only reason the shop had a Domane in a 62cm was because they got it in for someone else and THAT person ended up returning it for the same reason I did. Slow, heavy, and dead.