I rode a Kona Blast I borrowed from my LBS for around two hours a coupla' evenings ago. Some fairly flat cross-country; mostly some loooong and fairly steeeeep hills; hardpacked dirt and a bit of loose sand and rock. The thought kept going thru my mind - 'This is an amazing amount of bike for $600!'. Climbed like I was riding a feather. Might be worth checking out.