Good choice. I built mine with the same purpose in mind: commuting, road riding, on/off road loaded touring and it's been a versatile, durable ride. I'm also a big (heavy) rider and opted for strength over weight savings. Here's my component list:
XT rr. derrailleur
Utlegra fr. derrailleur
Dura Ace downtube shifters
Mavic Open Pro's with 36 spoke config.
Avid Shorty 4 brakes f/r
Dia Comp Aero road levers
Truvativ Cyclocross crankset (39/48)
9 speed cassette (12/25)
Sette road bars
Ritchey stem
Easton seatpost
Nashbar saddle
My current commuting tire, Continental Top Contact (700x28). Other than the brakes which have always been almost entirely useless, I love everything about this bike and have relied on it for my daily ride to and from work, weekend rides, and multi-day loaded and unloaded touring. I only recently had to replace the rr wheel (fatigue crack at spoke nipple) and rr brake (threading on set screw stripped while adjusting pad clearance), other than that it's been bullet proof. Let us know what you decide to do.