Originally Posted by rsbob

Loaded question. If they both had the same number of gears and ranges it might be a toss-up but the extra 8 lbs on the steel is a consideration for climbing. The steel bike rides beautifully on the flats and descends really well, feeling super stable so it is a winner there.. If I were to ride flat or gently rolling terrain the steel bike would win every time. Since I have climbed almost 200,00’ this year, the “plastic” bike is the sure winner. Different tools for different jobs.

I don’t get the bias on steel versus, whatever is not steel. I have seen it argued endlessly and really don’t see the point. If a bike rides well, climbs well and does what is asked of it in an efficient way, to me, that should be enough. This silliness reminds me of people who say, I am only a Ford man, or I am only a Chevy man, or I would never buy Japanese…. Time to give it a rest, unless you meant it tongue in cheek.