My all-seasons all-conditions commuter has disc brakes. In the rain and the snow I wouldn't have it any other way. Disc brake road bikes are very rare and carry a price premium. It's a premium I happily paid, and I was delighted to be able to do so. Then again, we get four months of snow bracketed by three months of wet on either end. Even our dry season is wet compared to Aus.

My other commuter, the one shown above, originally cost me $100. When it comes to stopping in the wet, KoolStop salmon pads are the thing to use on rim brakes. They grip without being grabby, and they don't disintegrate like other pads do. They're a very close second to discs.

Touring and cyclocross bikes will generally accept 28s and larger with fenders. Most "road" frames will not. If you look closely at Yellow Bike's front end you see how close-fitting the fenders are with 25s.