bwgride
I could not find Surly for that price in Toronto LBS. Couple of shops offered it to be built for me for much higher price then Norco but even if they've offered it for $950 I'd still have to try it first and I could not find any LBS that have those in stocks.
Gears for Norco: It cames with 11-32 cassette but they'll swap it for 11-34. As for cranks I am planning to have 2: 50-39-30 for 1 day unloaded rides and 46/36/24 for long haul touring. I was also told that it is possible to swap a smaller chain ring to 28 on 50-39-30. If it works then may be I can get away with a single crank.
Also I have some outdoor experience and I think I can get away with very light loads if planned carefully