That reminds me, I tested out Mongoose's attempt at XC, the Otero Comp, last summer. It felt good for the price point, but the seller & I couldn't agree on a price & I couldn't get any definite reviews from anyone about it in terms of reliability, so I passed. It was also pretty ridiculous how heavy it was, but for a sub-$1000 FS bike you can't really complain about weight.