So I hit a huge pothole coming in to work yesterday and bent the frame of my all-weather commuter. It's a cheap frame, and any possible repair would cost more than it's worth, so I'm in the market for something new.

My last two commuters have been old road bikes from Craigslist or thrift stores, stripped down and rebuilt with new parts. I might do the same thing again, but I'm not sure I feel up to it right now -- it's a lot of effort to track down something decent on Craiglist, and then I have to worry about messed-up paint jobs, weird incompatible parts, and all the other hassles that come with an old bike.

Plus, both those commuters met untimely ends. It would be nice to have a better frame that will last a while.

What I'm looking for:

• 700c wheels
• Clearance for at least 28mm tires and fenders
• Horizontal dropouts
• Caliper brakes
• Geometry somewhere around "relaxed road bike", but I'm a somewhat flexible on this.
• Not too expensive. I don't want something so nice that I'm afraid to subject it to my commute.

I don't need rack mounts or clearance for panniers. I have a geared bike for the big loads, with this one I usually just take a Carradice bag.

I wasn't planning on buying a bike and haven't been looking at new bikes at all lately. What's out there? What do you guys recommend?