the rei "warranty" is actually a 100% satisfaction guarantee, The way its not a lifetime warranty is that rei doesn't gaurantee stuff is indestructable, i've seen people return luggage cause the airlines dragged it on the tarmac and it frayed and other abuse of the policy. I've even had customers try to get me to say you can bring a bike back and trade it in for the new years model. Crap like this makes some empolyees jaded and annoyed at abnormal returns. But as the customer you always have the final say in the matter, if the tech or floor staff give you a hard time just get to a manager, they will always take care of you.

Now should it be warrantied? well at 210 lbs you shouldn't be jumping an old hardtail xc bike, how big a burm we talkin? Lifetime frame warranties usually exclude "improper use" ie don't jump of stuff on a hardtail xc bike

another problem is what will they warranty the frame with? novara doesn't make (to my knowlege) a mtn frame with canti-bosses, all disc now, and other stuff like the seatpost will prolly be the wrong size, you prolly have a threaded fork, so the headset and fork arn't compatable, they'd prolly have to give you a new bike

for the record, novara was made in taiwan, but in I believe 2006 they started being made in china