Don't write off carbon fiber for fear that it's too fragile and won't hold up.
I bought a Trek 5200 with their OCLV frame. 6,500 miles and two crashes later, it's held up great.
Remember that in a crash often what's going to hit the pavement (besides skin) are the things that 'stick out' from the frame: axles, handlebars, pedals, tires. In each of my crashes I got little bits of added personality for my bike. Those neat pointy Shimano Ultegra break hoods are no longer nice and shiny and pointy. They're now bluntly shaved down to the plastic underneath and still work fine.
I considered aluminum bikes from Klein and Cannondale when I was shopping for the Trek. They were all gorgeous bikes, but there was no comparison for the smoother ride of the OCLV. (I don't need to know the year a dime was made by riding over Roosevelt's head!) For some, the sensation of such frames might be preferrable - but not for my ricketty old carcass!