Can you test ride each bike? Each will have a different ride Characteristic and that should help you narrow it down. I owned a 95 Kona AA and it was a great riding bike but the paint chipped easily. I still have and ride my Cannondale CAD3 which has over 10,000 miles on the frame. My main ride now is an 09 Trek 8000 and it is a fast/great riding bike. Try going to MTBR.com and see what people have written about these bikes and there components.