steel touring bikes

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Hi,

I am considering a touring bike. I am not going to do long loaded
tours; I like touring bikes because they are more rugged than race
bikes. There are a few steel bikes (the Trek 520, the Fuji Touring, a
Bianchi, etc.), and there are aluminum ones (the Cannondale T800 and
T2000, etc.). Are there noticeable differences? Steel has been
phased out as a trend, and are Trek
and Fuji dumping their last inventories? (I don't see CrMo steel
used on other bikes.)

Ed