Recommendations please

[pwat]

The frame of my old tourer recently collapsed so I am researching possible replacements.
The government-backed 50% off scheme opens up the possibility of extending my budget but I am unsure where to begin.
My main bike use is commuting about 5 miles each way to work on a mix of lanes and town roads.  
Need mudguards & pannier frame.  
Prefer drop handlebars.  
Want a broad range of gears for occasional touring/holidays.
Recommendations please.

[rogerzilla]

If you want a Thorn the Club Tour XT looks like really good value.  You could pay a lot more for a Nomad with cheaper components; the extra money is going into a fillet-brazed British-built frame, which has a negative performance advantage because fillet brazing is heavier!  

I ride both 26" and 700c wheels and I'm convinced 700c is best for all road riding.  There's a wider choice of *road* tyres and the larger diameter helps on uneven tarmac.  26" is ultimately stronger but you don't need it unless you use gravel paths and rutted tracks.

[pwat]

Thanks
Thorn Club Tour XT is on my list of possibilities, though above my original budget.  
Does it have any advantages over, say, Dawes Galaxy?
Wheelsize - Agree with you - Been using 27", so 700c would be preferable to 26".
PW

[pwat]

How about the Tifosi CK7 ?
and what would be the nearest equivalent from Thorn?

[JNDavis]

Dawes get good write ups these days but I didn't envy my mate's.  His gears sounded horrible and then he hit the ground after missing a change.  I could say it's the little things which make the difference but there is one very big thing to consider.  The after-sales.

When I considered switching from a Thorn Audax to a Thorn xTc, Robin valued my bike.  I was shocked by how well it had kept its value and would never dared have asked that much if selling it myself.  Then Robin said, because I was swapping from one Thorn to another, he would give me 100% of what he could get for it.  In the end, when I eventually swapped, after a lot of umming and ahhing, because the Audax is a good bike, he threw in some other bits and pieces as well.

You could argue that I have been paid to say this!

[pwat]

Following this discussion I bought the Thorn Audax M3, in February 2009, and have been delighted with it ever since.
It has proved ideal for my daily commuting through the lanes of South Oxfordshire, and occasional leisure rides.   
The well shaped frame combined with intelligently selected components deliver a thoroughly well engineered machine, not cheap, not overpriced but all round very good value for money. 
It is moderately light weight whilst being robust enough for touring, with kit, and occasional (careful) off-road use.