There are stronger lighter option than aluminum that are really expensive. But for your non-racing, actually going to use this as transportation crowd aluminum scores very well on all three. It’s a good solid middle of the triangle metal.
I dunno about that. My primary mountain bike is aluminum. It’s $2,000 for the frame alone. Aluminum is vastly underrated in today’s carbon world. The axiom still holds true through: Even with aluminum, you can have any two of strong, light and cheap.