Steel commuter/ light touring bikes: How to choose?

[KnottedYet]

Hmmmm... asphalt gray bike, on gray asphalt, during gray-lit commuting hours.

Oh, Trek, how could you paint a commuter GRAY!?!?!?!

The Soho is a pretty appealing bike, but for 1/3 that price you could get an aluminum Kona Dew commuter or a steel Kona Smoke commuter.

Touring would definitely require a different bike, but if you are interested in aluminum commuters there are many out there which are very good and mighty low-priced. And they have standard parts which would be easy to repair/replace.

ETA: aluminum vs steel is one of those eternal debates. Some folks feel the difference, some don't. I feel it, and after an hour or so it becomes aggravating. YMMV.