This is my new road bike, which I also plan on using for touring. It is built around an S&S coupled XO-1 frame which I bought used from Courtney Custom Cycles. The frame had extensive front-end damage, and the toptube, downtube, and steerer were replaced. It also had the custom paintjob shown above.
This bike is different from most bikes in that it is really designed as a "do-anything" bike. It uses 26" mountain bike wheels, and has clearance for tires up to about 2". On the other hand it has the steering geometry of a roadbike, making it a bit sportier on the road. The Rivendell Atlantis is the closest thing to a production version of this bike, and there is more information about the design goals on their webpage.
The majority of the components on this bicycle were bought used. The only exceptions are the cables, wheels, fenders, chains, 40t chainring, and racks (looking at it another way, all of the drivetrain, braking system, and user interface components were purchased used). You can find some very nice 8sp components out there for great prices now that 9sp has become popular.
I haven't used the S&S couplers for travel yet, but I am very impressed with their design. It really is easy to split the bike in half and I don't notice the couplers while riding. They are very strong and require minimal maintance.
Here are the components:
I can also quickly swap the handlebars with flat ones. To change the bars I need to loosen the stem (6mm allen bolt), remove the downtube cable stops (3mm allen bolt), and undo the cable splitters and cantilever quick releases. The process only takes a few minutes and the flat bars are nice for offroad trips. Here are the changed components:
Here are some more pictures:
