Thanks everyone for their input, it is very much appreciated!!
Our Santana came with the Ultegra components, hefty wheels, AL fork, suspension seat post, and drag brake.
If we went the upgrade route...We could upgrade the wheels and the fork and replace the rim and drag brakes with a disc brake. Is the 315 lbs team weight to much for the front rim/ back disc brake set up? We go down on steep (<15% on places) long (> 4 miles) descents. The suspension seat post would have to stay with the AL frame. Are there any other components that we could upgrade to that would have a significant impact on performance/ weight?
We will definitely test ride/consider the Arizona, Calfee and Santana Beyond. Is there another bike that we should test/consider?
We like vosyer's idea of taking a road trip to test ride these bikes.