From a definite minority perspective, I'd consider how you like to ride first. I don't care for muddy trails either, but often do them as I love to ride and can't wait for them to dry. Sometimes I ride in the rain.
I hate tire-spray on the road as well and always had steel touring frames in the past to facilitate a rear rack with a narrow (low drag) trunk bag which is equivalent to a hydration pack for off-road. I also like fenders and keep a bobbed rear fender (no heavy/high drag side "brackets"/wires needed) on the bike all the time and add a front fender only if the roads are wet or running a high risk of rain. You can feel the effect of the front fender in high winds. It's an air scoop. I also use removable fenders on my mountain bike to minimize the mud coating.
I now use a titanium cyclocross frame which has provisions for both rack and fenders. It can can also accommodate disc brakes but use Vs for lighter weight. A separate set of wheels can allow wider tires (to 38 mm) for dirt/gravel forest roads. Cyclocross frames are a little more rugged, have more relaxed frame angles and are generally more comfortable. Possible in-between the pure road bike and the touring bike.
Being in excellent condition, but no jock, I prefer lower gearing. The rings are 22/34/46 (TA crankset) with a 12/27 cassette. I can easily spin above 100 smoothly. My wife uses a mountain bike (22/32/44) crankset on her road bike.
I was fortunate in buying an Airborne Carpe Diem frame set about the time they cured all the issues with that design and before the company folded. I was going to get a special -order ti frame set from Lightspeed for the rack and fender provisions. I was able to build the Airborne for about $3000. The Lightspeed would have probably have raised that another $500.
Al
Last edited by alcanoe; 08-02-09 at 06:41 AM.