Commuting - Commuter/touring bike advise

Presently, I am commuting 80-100 miles a week on a hybrid. I recently purchased a cyclocross/roadster for summer riding and commuting. However, this winter I would like to trade-in this heavy beast of a hybrid for a "USED" touring style bike, one which can withstand the harsh winter elements and yet provide close geometry to the roadster. But, alas, I do not know what to look for in a used, lite tourer. I want to use the same rack, fenders, light system that I have on the hybrid-maybe some panniers. What should I be looking for and how much should I consider spending, given the purpose of this winter commuter? Is it supposed to be longer in the top bar? Gears, Wheels, etc.? Thanks for the tips to come.

Cheers,

Urbanmonk

The Bianchi Volpe has all those touring features you want, where you can put all those accesories plus is very comfortable with those low gears to tackle any steep uphills. I love mine.
But I'm not sure if you can find a used, beat up one anywhere, try Ebay.
Corsaire

You should check a few shops to see if they have any used tourers: Specialized, Fuji, Trek, Centurion & others made touring models. There's a Specialized Expedition Touring bike on e-bay right now. Check it out, do a search for "touring Bicycle" to find it. I have one & they are a good buy if you can find one. Don

Check out the Breezer Liberty, It's loaded and ready to go with generator light, rack and fenders. It's a well built commuter with a beautiful finish and attention to detail, Most importantly, the price is right.

So you have a hybrid commuter bike, and a cx/tourer fun bike.
You want a light-tourer commuter bike.
You should be able to guage the desired length from your current bikes. Measure the saddle to bars length, and decide if you want a longer cockpit or not. You can ride touring bikes in any position, long or short. See peter white cycles for a fitting guide.
If you want to ride drop bars, remember that the drop-bar/stem combo is longer than a flatbar/stem, so you DONT need a longer TT. In fact you may need a shorter TT.

I dont know of any big-name companies who make new light-touring bike suitable for commuting. Boutique companies such as Gunnar and Soma make great models, which use long drop caliper brakes, so you can fit 28mm tyres+fenders. The Gunnar Sport is pretty much ideal, so use that as your benchmark.

Put some fenders and a rack on your hybrid and keep it as a beater. Winter bikes are beaters that you don't want to get too attached to. Otherwise, I would recommend a mountain bike with slicks, fenders, rack. I live in a snowy climate, so my bike needs might be alittle different. I have 4 bikes, one for every season. (1) Raleigh r800 - 19 pound roadster 23mm tires, Ultegra double with 12-23 cassette, Look pedals. I use this as a racer and keep it clean. (2) Raleigh r300 - touring frame with long chainstays, 28mm tires , sks fenders, rack, Ultegra double with 12-27 cassette, mtb pedals, and yes, a kickstand. Comes in handy. I use this bike the most as a summer commuter. (3) Univega MTB, 1.4" Richey Slicks, sks fenders, rack, 7 speed LX. I use this bike as a winter beater. I ride through puddles, snow, icy roads. The 26 inch tires provide better stability. It's a bike that takes a beating. I only fix what I have too. (4) Schwinn Tourist that I ride to the bus stop. Old and rusty, and no one wants to steal it.