Newbie question: Steel vs. Aluminum

Hello all.  I'm new to the forum.  After nearly 20 years away from biking, I'm getting back in.  I plan to split my riding equally between pavement and the rolling gravel backroads of western MN.  I've done a good bit of research on bikes and my main concern boils down to ride quality and comfort.  Based on forum comments and my discussions with various bike shops, my general take is that the ride quality of steel is tough to beat.  On the other hand, some folks claim that new aluminum gravel bikes also have a very good feel.  I have personally test drove a Tamland 1 and Norco Search in steel and really liked the feel of both.  In terms of aluminum, I've been on a Warbird (several year old demo model) and a new Giant Revolt.  While these aluminum bikes felt good to me on my short test ride, my concern is whether they will feel as good as their steel counterparts after 50 or 100 miles in the saddle.  To take it a step further, I see that the '16 Warbird has new geometery and offers a carbon fork, even on the 'lower' end models.  At any rate, I want to make the best informed decision before I spend a good chunk of cash.  Thank you in advance for your input and advice.  BwcawBoy.

I've had my Raleigh Willard 2 (105 group, aluminum with carbon fork, same geometry as the Tamland) on 65 mile and 46 mile gravel rides this month, and it is a nice smooth ride. The surfaces have ranged from sandy crap to fresh chunky pain, and the only hot spots I got were my butt and my neck (both problems that will be mitigated by more saddle time). While often true, I don't subscribe to the "steel is smoother" mantra, because the hardest, roughest-riding bike I own is a steel trek, even with 38mm touring tires at 60psi. There's just a lot more to it than frame material.

Asking on forums and reading reviews is fine - you'll get good feedback, but nothing beats taking your test rides out on some rough surfaces and concentrating on the ride/feel you are getting. Make sure you have the shop put a "normal" amount of air in the tires; you're not going to be riding gravel at 80psi.