2019 Specialized Sequoia or 2019 Salsa Journeyman Sora

I am looking at getting a new touring/gravel bike. I have been doing a lot of mixed road touring the last few summers and decided to step up from my old bike to a real gravel bike. I've taken a bunch of test rides on a ton of different bikes, and these two have stood out to me so far. The Journeyman is an aluminum frame and the Sequoia is a steel frame, so obviously it is a little heavier and slower off the start than the Journeyman, but the Sequoia has a wider range of gears which I like. The Sequoia has 2 chain rings on the crank as compared to just one on the Journeyman which I like for climbing. Both bikes are in my price range of around $1500. Both also have at least 2 front bosses on the forks which I also like. When we go touring, we usually stay in bnb's so we don't do a lot of bikepacking per say. I have a seat bag and frame bag that I use for tools/clothes/etc, so I prefer to have the two extra bottle cage mounts on the front forks. I do like to be fast though, so I'm a little worried about the weight of the Sequoia, but like I said, it has a bit more range in gears which I think might help it ride a bit faster than the Journeyman.


What are your preferences as far as Aluminum frame bikes go as compared to steel framed bikes?


What about Specialized as compared to Salsa? Do you prefer one brand over the other?


Is there another bike other than these two that you would prefer in that price range?


Thanks in advance!