As far as non suspension pedal bikes go I absolutely love my steel Lemond Poprad. Such a nice riding bike. From what I hear rigid aluminum bikes have come a long way in regards to ride comfort, but that Poprad put me firmly in the steel is real camp.
A bit of an apples to oranges comparison, but I had a Specialized Rockhopper before it got stolen. Used it almost exclusively on road so had fairly narrow slicks on it, Rockshock fork, Eggbeaters. The vibration transmitted through that thing had my hands tingling and going numb to the point of misery. When it got jacked I replaced it with the Poprad and was amazed at how much vibration that frame and rigid steel fork seemed to soak up in comparison. Even hitting road deformations, the frame seemed to act like a spring and just softened them up compared to the mtb.
Another nice thing about steel is it will generally bend if pushed past it's limits. Aluminum bike frames tend to simply snap when they fail, and usually do so with little to no warning.
...and steel can often be repaired more easily than aluminum. There is the rust concern though.
My Raptor is steel. No complaints. My Revive is aluminum, also no complaints... though if the swingarm were steel it might open up some further options for me if need be.
A bit of an apples to oranges comparison, but I had a Specialized Rockhopper before it got stolen. Used it almost exclusively on road so had fairly narrow slicks on it, Rockshock fork, Eggbeaters. The vibration transmitted through that thing had my hands tingling and going numb to the point of misery. When it got jacked I replaced it with the Poprad and was amazed at how much vibration that frame and rigid steel fork seemed to soak up in comparison. Even hitting road deformations, the frame seemed to act like a spring and just softened them up compared to the mtb.
Another nice thing about steel is it will generally bend if pushed past it's limits. Aluminum bike frames tend to simply snap when they fail, and usually do so with little to no warning.
...and steel can often be repaired more easily than aluminum. There is the rust concern though.
My Raptor is steel. No complaints. My Revive is aluminum, also no complaints... though if the swingarm were steel it might open up some further options for me if need be.