You're right, sorry if my post was confusing! I was saying that mine is suboptimal because it had knobby tires and because I find that drop bars give me better hand positions for climbing.
I would probably want MTB gearing on a road bike for use in Ithaca. Especially that 22 tooth chainring
Your touring bike sounds like the right approach, perhaps switch to 22/32/44 chainrings? In any case, I wouldn't give up the geometry, drop bars, and lighter weight of a road bike in order to get MTB gearing!
I see, moxfyre, It seems that we're on the same page about gearing. I'm looking to retire my touring bike, however. The aggressive position isn't what I'm looking for in a commuter for school. Plus, I've done some touring on a mountain bike before, and aside from the lack of front bags, it worked pretty well for me. MTBs with slicks on them aren't nearly as fast as a road bike, of course, but they do OK for short distances.