The news of the demise of steel-framed bikes has been highly exaggerated. They are still readily available, new and used. Carbon fiber frames depreciate very rapidly, by comparison. To anyone who hasn't bought into the marketing hype, they are ugly frames made with an unsuitable material. While strong in some ways, a big scratch in the wrong place can render the frame unsafe to ride. Plus, carbon fiber tends to fail catastrophically when it fails. Steel tends to fail non-catastrophically when it fails. Bend a steel bike fork, and there's a good chance you can still ride home. Even if a carbon fiber fork suffered no outwardly visible damage in such an impact, it would, at best, still need to be closely inspected by someone with expertise in carbon fiber construction and repair to make sure there is no hidden damage, and some such experts would still be reluctant to risk their reputation or the rider's safety by recommending the fork be used again.
Most bicyclists who ride their bikes for anything other than racing tend to avoid CF.
