Interesting. When I bought my bike steel was still the primary material, but the Cro-Moly steel was getting thin walled and a bit lighter. I ended up with a mountain bike design but with high-end dérailleur, brakes and wheels, and 2" slick tires rather than knobby tires. It's a great bike for urban bike paths, cobblestone streets, curbs and pot-holes. It's not as good on dirt, a knobby tire would be better there, but it's much better on any type of pavement.