Originally Posted by sherpaPeak
GF Tass is a proven great bike (bias and generalization intended); if it fits you, its worth a shot.
for Fire mountain, if its a 2005 model, it should be a great bike. Kona did something to the Fire Mountain for 2006. as you may have noticed, Kona changed their XC line frames and gave it a more boxy look, but the fire mountain did not get this update, I dont know why. also, I think the fire mountain has a different geometry for 2006 than the rest of the pack. so, if you buy a 2006, please do some research. 2005 sould be fine, with some price reduction. best of luck
According to the geometry specs on the Kona site, in 2004, the Lana'i and Fire Mountain were different than the others, in 2005, only the Lana'i was different and now in 2006, both the Lana'i and Fire Mountain are different. And it's weird because, for a given size, the measurements are the same except for the head tube and seat tube angles (at least for 2006). And it's even more strange because the Lana'i and Fire Mountain have the more aggressive angles.