hello everyone. thanks to all that responded ,that was a very interesting exchange of opinions and information.i imagine the steel tubesets these days are of themselves far more costly in our expanding universe of value. i have noticed an economy "pinarello"now and again made of arche' steel ,and i know i have seen older frames in oria by pinarelloo and other italian builders,so there must always have been some ethic towards providing quality for less than top dollar. ride quality is entirely subjective by nature, as is anything perceived by our*senses* but the votes seem to be there for aelle as a worthy material. i didn't acquire the aelle frame i was hoping to yet but it was that 5 letter curse word that held me back for now.you know m o n e y ... anyways. for anyone interested in rob stowe further googlings seem to indicate he is building custom steel mountain bike frames for a canadian firm laffleche industries, quebec , for those customers who dont want or maybe cant afford their carbon frames. 1300 to 2600.(the whole bike i hope) one last question . was that swanky almarc laced leather wrap developed to solve the problem of everyone wrapping their bars incorrectly {by whatever method )? have a happy new year that's already racing into the record books .......kevin ruberg howell nj usa **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1215855013x1201028747/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072%26hmpgID=62%26bcd=De cemailfooterNO62)