Be careful what you wish for, because you may get exactly what you want! Design is about compromise. If you opt for agility and speed, you may lose of what is best about a touring bike.
It happened to me. Once upon a time, I ordered a custom touring bike. Because I liked to ride fast, I asked the builder to design it to handle more like a road bike. And that's exactly what he delivered. It was lightweight and fast, to be sure, but it did not take long for me to discover the bike wasn't ideal for loaded touring, which is what I really wanted it for.
A couple of years later, the top tube got a nasty dent, and I took the bike to the builder for repairs. Since he was breaking welds anyway, I asked him to relax the geometry overall.
The rebuilt bike feels nothing like the original. The difference is like a sports car and station wagon. But now, it is close to perfect for touring: it's comfortable, handles securely, and actually, the reincarnated bike retains much of the peppiness and fun of its predecessor.
Last edited by acantor; 08-29-10 at 03:57 PM.