The things you mention not liking about the Long Haul Trucker aren't really the things I would expect to separate a touring bike from your Canondale. As you say, you can change the controls any way you like. The more relevant question in my mind is how you like to ride. I used to have an LHT and some days I really liked it but most days I didn't. There was nothing wrong with the bike necessarily. Lots of people love them. It just didn't suit the way I like to ride.

I used my LHT sparingly for commuting because I had other options. The times I enjoyed it were on days when I wanted a slow, relaxed ride. If I was just puttering along in the neighborhoods enjoying the weather and taking in the scenery, it was a nice bike. If I wanted any kind of snappy ride (and let me make clear that I am by no means a fast rider), it frustrated me. It's not that I couldn't make it go fast. I just always felt like it didn't want to.

So that's the question I'd ask, particularly with regard to a Long Haul Trucker. If you just want to carry some bags but you like the bike to be responsive, there are still some great bikes available. I'm a big fan of early-to-mid 80's sport touring bikes for this reason. But if you like a relaxed and comfortable ride on a steady bike that will take just about any load you want to strap on to it, then the LHT is worth the trouble of fine tuning.