First off, fitting a front rack on a a Sarfari isn't hard-- the bike is made for one.
Second, I'm not a huge disc brake fan, but the Deore discs on the Sarfari are very nice. So are the SRAM grip shifters (X7 I think), Deore Trekking crankset, Deore derailers. The bike is well put together. Because the bike is made of MTB parts, the upkeep and repair bills are half of a production road bike. Plus if you are on tour and something breaks-- almost every bikeshop in the world has repalcement parts on the shelf, for a reasonable price.
If you're going to be commuting-- the Sarfari just might be the bike for you.