Originally Posted by
noglider
Except I don't know what bikes are built that way nowadays...
Well...
Here's a short list; granted, this is just off the top of my head (so it's obviously incomplete)...
There's Soma's
ES (a.k.a.
Smoothie) & especially the
Stanyan (now sadly discontinued; possibly the prettiest mass-produced bike of the past 15 years)... The
Stanyan was a truly fine example of the type; almost a clone of the
RB-2, in terms of geometry.
Velo Orange's
Pass Hunter certainly fits the bill, as do Salsa's
Vaya &
Marrakesh (which is a very modern touring bike, with sporting lines); Surly's
Pacer...
Gunnar makes a couple of bikes, the
Crosshairs & the
Roadie, both of which (like those of parent-company Waterford) can be ordered custom with any number of braze-ons...
I think New Albion's
Privateer &
Homebrew are good, inexpensive candidates for commuting...
Beyond that, you're in the high-end market; Waterford's
RS14 &
ST14; various Rivs; Breadwinner offers the
B-Road in about the same price range (which, personally, I couldn't justify for a commuting bike- especially since there are dozens of C & V frames that will do the job- often with more flair- for a lot less outlay).
Anyway, that's my two cent's worth; feel free to add to it.