Speaking of steel frames and disc brakes, do you have any Kona dealers in your area? If you do, the Sutra would be worth checking out. It's their touring bike, and isn't horribly expensive, but is a pretty comfy ride.

I think he would be best getting to try out the bike before buying, unless you think it would be easy to sell if it doesn't work out for him. My experience: I very much wanted a Surly LHT, but when I went to test ride them, no matter what we did to the bikes we couldn't get one that felt/fit right. (2 different sizes, five different stems, 2 different seat posts, and many adjustments in between--I found a shop that was willing to fiddle with the fit all day.) I still like the bike, and recommend it to people looking for commuting/touring/sturdy bikes, but it just doesn't work for me.