Neither of those bikes are Kona - any bike can be broken.Kona is the best of the bunch. Traditionaly hard tails are ridden cross country - full suspension is necessary for big drops. BTW I have owned my Hei Hei since 1990 and ride on the North Shore (
http://www.nsmb.com/ - check out the photos) this bike has been nothing short of fantastic. I believe the large size is an eighteen inch - easily confirmed with an e-mail. Cheers!