I wouldn't worry about the cranks. None of the bikes in this price range come with truly good cranks, and there's a variety of options under $200 for hollow cranks with GXP external cups. My choice is Shimano Deore XT. (Edit:
Interesting that almost everything I linked is over $200. I paid $104+shipping for my wife's Deore XT crankset and no more than $150 for mine.)