Hi,
first... you can put a steel fork on it. I had a Surly fork on mine.
Second, the rear triangle made the ride a bit rough for a tourer.
Unless things have changed, it was a cyclocross/tourer and the cross part of it's personality got in the way of the touring part. This is not a classic mellow titanium ride.
This also meant you can have problems with your heels hitting the panniers. Mine did. You don't have to worry about it's ruggedness. It's tough.
IMHO, YMMV, sorry to throw mud in our mashed potatoes, but your country makes great touring bikes, it's a tradition there. Why settle for a bike that is not a true tourer when for the same dough you could have a custom King of Mercia???