Yeah, I know I need to face facts that Surly is pretty much exactly what I am looking for. There's a Surly dealer down the street from my house, maybe I'll go talk to him this weekend.

Mainly, I was just trying to find some other manufacturers of steel bikes. Jamis was a great recommendation. The Satellite and the Aurora are both within the budget, and the model names are a plus too due to my fascination with astronomy. The Bianchis I was thinking of are the Brava and the Volpe. As far from building one up...the jury is still out on that. When I get home I will eBay a bit (can't eBay from work) and see what I can find.

So far on the steel rides list:
Surly
Bianchi
Jamis

Thanks maxknee and michaelmc!

Any others people?

-Kyle