After an unreasonable amount of waffling, I'm still waffling over which frame to use for my all purpose bike. I expect to put over 80% of my pedal time on the new steed and for that reason I'm looking for something that maximizes comfort but will still let me average 12-15 mph. The Surly LHT meets all of my criteria, especially in the chainstay department. The Soma Saga has a 45 cm chainstay as does the Salsa Vaya.

Looking for a steel frame. I'd like to use drop bars with the top bar at or slightly above seat level. I'll be building the bike at a local bike project shop. I have nearly everything purchased at this point except for the frame, headset, cable and cable housings and front wheel. I thought I was going to go with a local builder for the frame but the wait time of three months and out of pocket expense for the custom build has made me rethink.

Should I just go with the LHT or is there something better out there? And by better, I mean another frame with similar geometry under $800.