I am looking to a buy a single speed commuter bike which I can also use through the harsh winters here. I have narrowed it down to two bikes - One has a 6061 Aluminium frame while the other has a hi-ten steel frame.
So my question is, given that I will use the bike through winter and have to park it outside in heavy snow with all the salt and grime on it (for about 5-6 months), is having a steel frame bike a bad idea or is it not a big issue?
Specifically this question is about Sweden, where temperatures range -5 degrees C up to 23 degrees C (23F to 74F) in Stockholm, but further north the temperature has been recorded below -42 degrees C (-52 degrees F) (from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extreme_temperatures_in_Sweden)