I also bought a cross check this year for everyday commuting. I had an aluminum/carbon road bike with brifters, and I really didn't notice any convenience issue switching to barend shifters. People sometimes complain about cantilever brake performance, but they've worked fine for me too. One benefit of them is that they can travel a lot farther, so you don't need them to sit as close to the wheel. Consequently, you don't have to fiddle with their positioning as much-- they never rub.

As far as carrying loads for touring, I really can't imagine a load big enough to cause a problem. I don't have a front rack, but I've frequently carried $100 of groceries on my 10-mile commute (including beer, gallons of milk, watermelons... heavy stuff) and I've never had a problem.

My only gripe is that my stock bike had its steerer tube cut too much for my taste. It felt right to me at first because I was used to the road bike position. But once I went through the effort of raising my bars a bit, I realized I will never go back! That's not a problem with the cross check, because the uncut steerer tube is plenty long. But if you buy the complete bike they seem to always set it up with a really agressive position. You might want to ask them if they would leave the bars a little higher. You can always cut more later, but you can't add it back, and a new fork is $100.

Overall I've loved the bike, and I'm very happy. Oh, and I paid basically list price for it in Minneapolis.