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I have both steel and aluminium bikes, and love them for differing reasons. Good Steel is comfy, springy (it delays/deadens bumps), and has a certain character that's hard to describe, I guess you could say planted.
I also like my aluminum bikes. They are light, lively, and the pedal exceedingly well. They are also not terribly expensive.
It's a bit like the difference between a luxury coupé and a sports/luxury coupé. They are both capable of the same things, but are better at one facet or the other.
I don't really like carbon bikes. They are super light, but they tend to feel dead, have no real 'personality' like you find in steel or (to a lesser extent) aluminum. Also, very expensive, typically. I run a bike shop and sell plenty of carbon, but no longer have any myself... I see no need.
I won't even go into length about the lifespan issue of carbon vs. aluminum vs. steel.
Pic related is my favorite road bike to ride, a 1985 Univega Gran Sprint built with modern and semi-modern parts.
