A few more thoughts to share.
The Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires and tubes have low rolling resistance and good grip, but if I buy a new tire it will be a little wider with a bit of tread. The grip on a dry road gives enough confidence to lean into turns, however the tires are so low profile that the pedals can strike the road in an aggressive turn, which never happened on MTB tires which elevate the bike another inch or so. Combined with hydraulic disc brakes the stopping power has prevented at least two accidents.
This bike is on the road at night on a regular basis, so the reflective highlights on the panniers help to make it stand out. The best visibility addition is actually the Schwalbe tires, however, as the sidewalls have a reflective ring that is very bright when illuminated - see the photo above in which a small phone camera flash is setting them alight, compare it with how small the reflective ring is in the photo in the first post.
The Niterider Race 1400 LED light is rugged and weatherproof with 5 levels of brightness so I can punch a hole in the night out on foggy, lonely country roads or have a friendly light on city bikepaths that won't blind other riders or send them into an epileptic fit due to overly bright harsh flashing. An accessory larger capacity Niterider battery gives 3 hours at max brightness and durations that would last all night at lower settings.
A courtesy bell for pedestrians and a handlebar end mirror have earned their place on the bar.
Ravi K's recommendation of the Bodyfloat by CIrrus (now Kinekt?) was spot on. After a spin on his Stromer I was intrigued and it has proven itself over many miles of road, wish I had bought it five years earlier.
The Thule Pack 'n Pedal rack works well since the donor bike is a Specialized Stumpjumper Comp and Specialized always live up to their name in making their bikes perfect for a narrowly defined role but not exactly all-rounders - hence no braze ons for a more solid rear rack. This is a limitation that makes this a "light" touring bike.
