Originally Posted by sherpaPeak
Listen to junkyard, he is very helpful, specially when he/she is in a good mood.
"He", thank you very much. And you've foiled my plan of suckering Pwn in and unleashing a barrage of insults.
As far as bikes, for cross country (also known as XC -- see recent thread titled "what is XC?"), the following companies provide some decent offerings in a variety of price points:
Cannondale
Kona
Specialized
Trek
Giant
Gary Fisher
Don't limit your search here. Find out what the local shops carry. Test ride, test ride, test ride.