Thanks for all the help guys, this is great information. I am considering upping my budget and going for the base model Kona Hoss. I may have to put off the purchase until around Christmas or spring if I go that high, but it looks like it may be worth it. It seems to be a pretty sturdy bike, but it does have one thing that concerns me... the wheels only have 32 spokes and they are 14G stainless (is that good?) I am also having a hard time finding a dealer with one in stock that I can try.

On the other hand, I guess I could always get the cheapo Trek 820 and upgrade stuff as I break it.