The Canon 17-40 f/4L and 70-200 f/4L are not terribly expensive -- not much more than that 17-85 IS. Those two L lenses have been quite popular although recent releases of wide-zooms both Canon and 3rd parties have been eroding some of that popularity for the 17-40L. The 70-200 f/4L is popular mainly due to its much more luggable size/weight vs the various 70-200 f/2.8 zooms although it doesn't sport the IS that certain other Canon telezooms offer.
For myself, I've been fighting the urge to drop the $$$ on Nikon's own "L level" pro lenses for the past 2 years. Still resisting their 70-200 f/2.8 VR though I almost bought it on a couple occasions -- the D200 (from my wife) plus some carbon fiber legs helped reduce that urge over winter, but it's probably just a matter of time before I can no longer resist.
