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@Glowbike
The fact is, all touring bikes are somewhere on the Audax-to-expedition spectrum; though to say there are no differences between is utter tosh. It's equivalent to the difference between an XC bike and a DH bike..
From the bikes I've owned I can say the ones set up for expedition touring are designed for rough/no roads and with utterly bombproof kit. Owned a Thorn Raven for a while (and used it for audax rides). Riser bars, upright stance, Heavy as all hell, easy to fix in the middle of nowhere. Was a pig to ride without any sort of load on though - which if I'm honest is mostly what I used the bike for. Sold it and have no regrets.
Whereas had a roadrat set up for audax type rides (and took it on some expedition touring) opposite end of the spectrum. Flexy as buggery when loaded down. 700c Wheels ARE hard to find spares for in the middle of non europeanised countries. Was fast, but not what I needed.
I came across this thread googling reviews for the kona sutra, but I think it's atleast worth my two cents. I'm saving up to buy a kona sutra purely BECAUSE of the disc-brakes. It allows me to switch between two sets of wheels easily. a 26" pair for doing some more Expedition touring and a 700c pair for audax riding. The sutra compared to the LHT is a lot more racy aswell.
... and it comes in green