Thanks! Yes I will look into getting just a beefier front wheel as 85% of the added touring weight will go on the front rack, and much of that in mid/low-rider panniers.

As far as the tire goes, I did not notice any squaring (actually I do not know what this refers to). What I saw was this: that slick center section is essentially a raised, smooth tread around the whole tire -- with wear, that slick center section is no longer raised, it is almost flush with the tire itself. The outside tread is fine. Perhaps this is the squaring you refer to.

Come to think about it I have a nagging feeling that some of this wear may be cause by over-inflation. The tire says 80 PSI, but I always go 90+ having read somewhere that tire manufacturers always under-spec their suggested PSI so as not to be liable if a blow-out happens.

Or perhaps the wear is normal -- I've got no idea how long a tire is supposed to last, but I do ride quite a bit.

I estimate having ridden 1500-2000 miles on these tires in the past 5 months since purchasing them.