daveprozac

I am looking into building or buying a new bicycle but have reached a dead end of sorts. I ride daily and it is my main form of transportation. I recently acquired a used Felt CA1 with an Ultegra group and the bike is faster than all get out, but it really isn't my style. I am looking for a road bike that can pull double duty as a grocery/junk hauler and possibly a light touring bike as well as a road bike. The bike doesn't need to be lightning fast but I also don't want the 8 year old girl down the street on her training wheeled single speed BMX passing me. I don't mind using parts off of the Felt to build up a new bike but I would like to recoup some of the cost of purchasing it so I would probably need to keep the fork with the frame to sell it. The two names that seem to come up a lot are Soma and Surly. I am leaning towards a Soma Smoothie ES but I was thinking I should get some opinions before I settle. My main worry is that the Smoothie runs long reach caliper brakes while most Surlys run cantilever brake systems, and using the smoothie would lock me into smaller tires for the life of the frame while the Surly would leave me with some options. Are cantilever brake systems less responsive than caliper brake systems? I am also getting fenders, a rack, and panniers to go with the bike and to be honest most rack systems look a little weak to hold two full bags of groceries; would I need a good rack system for that kind of weight? Any other bike or frame manufacturers that make good multi-use bikes or frames other than Soma or Surly? What would be your choice for a good multi-purpose bike (frame, drive train, wheels, brakes)?