I think the Kona would be better with thinner tires (28 or 32 mm). The bottom gear on the Kona and the Cannondale may be lower than you need - if the shop can switch to a closer ratio casette you would get slicker shifting. The smaller wheels on the Bad Boy will also make the effective gearing lower. There are more choices of tires suitable for road riding with the 700c wheels. They are all decent bikes so take test rides and buy whichever one turns you on.
The Radical Explorack is a low cost one that I really like.