Originally Posted by Blue Motobecane

Thanks for all the discussion. I definitely plan to ride around on some more stock touring bikes, although I have yet to find a disc trucker in stock in my size. I have ridden a stock Pacer and a custom Crosscheck (belonging to friends) a fair bit, and I am impressed by both, so my limited Surly experience has been good. Of course, those were both built with road components. I'll also check out the other frames you guys have suggested here and find shops that carry all of these brands.