I used to think that most of the weight belongs on the back of the bike, because weight in the front will make steering hard. Well, I was wrong. I got a front rack and put panniers on it, not even low riders. Aha, now I get it. As I pedal out of the saddle and pull on the handlebars, I'm pulling the weight up directly rather than twisting the bike. Having weight in the front does slow the steering down, but it doesn't make the bike wily.

I hear the point about aluminum frames. Most of them are built with more stiffness than steel frames, which is funny because steel is an intrinsically stiffer material. But aluminum frames are usually made with larger diameter tubes which compensates for that and more. I've ridden Cannondales but not toured on one. I imagine it would be a nice machine for touring.