I've been interested in one of the 29er HT chinese frames. they cost about $400 shipped, I can get a reba fork for $300-350 on ebay. that would leave me $750 usd for the rest of the parts. I'm wondering if I can put together something around 23 pounds for $1400 total. if not, what weight would I be looking at for that budget? I'd buy some components used on ebay/forums to save money, like carbon handlebar, rear derailleur. I'd probably go 1x9 and use a mrp guide.

thanks.

Thats going to b a challence i think !
I think i would look for a complete bike second hand on ebay or so. Bedides i would prefer to buy nice wheels and tyres over a light frame. In otherwords id prefer to spend say 500$ on wheel pakage and 250$ on frame than they other way around !
Let us know how this is gonna go, and good luck(;

I don't think a 23 lb hardtail is hard to achieve at all.. I have an aluminum On9 with Fox fork and tires that weigh around 750 gr each and it weighs 23. Adding gears would add about 1 lb. but my frame is aluminum and I did not use really light parts. For instance it has Flow rims and Crests would save quite a bit. There are lots of tires that weigh in the 600 gram range, I guess it depends more on what tires/wheels, etc. you need to use and how carefully you buy your other parts.

_________________
For certain parts stiffer is more important than lighter.

There is a Flash on the bay now going for $1500 in size large. Can't beat that.

$750 in not much for all components including wheelset. Bump it to $2000 and have fun.

Chris.

_________________
MSC Koncept Carbon Di2 - 6955g
Leichtkraft Team Carbon - 6868g.

I suppose i could bump my budget up $200. it would suck putting everything together and having it come out at 25 pounds. cause I believe I can get a new scott scale 29 elite which is 25.5 pounds for $1450.

I'd probably go with this wheelset, unless theres something cheaper with similar weight:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=63317

the chinese carbon 29er frames weigh 1300gr. I have a lot of research to do. I wanted you get peoples opinions since you guys have done this.

1300 gram according to .. Manufactor ?
I was about to say aswel second hand flash would be dead sexy !!
As keith b. Said: light stiff cheap , pick to.
That specialy goes for 29 rs
Pick a secondhand gf superfly for less than 1500 i think or buy an ally and the chinese frame if u realy wanted that frame !(;

1300 gr according to the listing on ebay as well as others that own them in the thread on mtbr. some weighing 1280 and even less depending on the size.

how much does the flash you guys are talking about weigh? I looked on ebay.com and didn't see one that was $1500, wondering if maybe you guys are looking on a different ebay site, like .uk or something.

I would recommend getting a complete bike as well.
Also, on a limited budget, carbon is definitely not the end-all.

For instance, I switched from an alloy stumpjumper 29 to a carbon one, lost about 3/4 lb, stiffness was improved, comfort was more a less of a wash (to my dissapointment). Alloy doesn't have the flashy appeal that carbon does, but a high quality alloy frame will ride as well as the best carbon frames of say, 8 years ago, and should do quite well compared to cheap carbon.

You should be able to pick up a used higher-end alloy build or a lower-end carbon build for 1400 to 1600 with the niceities such as wider bars, stiffer components, 10 speed transmission and good quality wheels.

If you're set on building something up, with a focus on weight, my priority would be on a nice set of wheels, preferably something hand-built. If you're building your first 29er, you'd be surprised how much more stiffness matters (in the wheelbuild) for your bike to not be a noodle. I think crests or arches are nice, but you need 2.0/1.8 spokes and want some hubs with decently high flanges. At the minimum this would set you back 250 bucks.

I would assume you have a cockpit, but if you're looking to buy inexpensive parts, the lower end truvativ kit is pretty damn cheap, and you wouldn't give tooo much in the weight department unless you want to spend teh big bux.

That kind of leaves you with scouring around for whatever drivetain you can get for around 300 dollars. Probably portly. The sram stuff is lighter for the same money (more so w/ older shimano systems), but x7 doesn't really win any awards for long term durability or shifter feel.

If TL;DR, to sum it up: go used complete, if not, prioritize with nice wheels, then scrounge around on craigslist till you find the stupid deals.

The Hongfu FM056 mirrors the geometry of the Scale 29 Pro and Expert. 20% off an expert is 400 more than you have setup and you get the original not the copy. Otherwise start charting your options with cost and weight. Arch EX rims are 450g and should be $61ea when available in a few days. WTB Frequemcy i23 are possibly stiffer if you weigh 200+ at 530g and $58. See twentynineinches.com for an article. An 80mm 98g stem for $30 shipped from china as well as a short 85g seat ~$100 and 185g $80 carbon seatpost are on ebay. A $75 shipped oem dt swiss rear hub(little dts white on brown) is 290g but gives you 10mm thru bolt RWS ready and star ratchets for durability. As you work through it you end up with the components you want for the long run. I"m using a Moots Ti post 200g and SLR 135g saddle from my roadie. I picked up Easton EC90 carbon 135g bars $108 . These go on my current al 29er as I look for used brakes and a fork and think about that frame.

I weigh 127. do you have a link for the FM056? is it the same as this one? http://www.ltbikes.com/products-show.asp?id=496

I don't know how to build wheels so getting rims and what other parts to get is over my head, plus getting someone to build them. I wasn't planning to get a carbon stem or seatpost. a carbon post would be about 30gr less and a stem would be like 15gr less. it doesn't seem worth the money for my weight goal.

any disc brake recommendations?

http://dengfu.en.alibaba.com/product/50 ... FM056.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This is one supplier and this page shows the geometry. I believe the dimensions match those of the 29 pro frameset. the chainstays of the LTK023 are 445mm. Hongfu also supplies the FM056 and the same geometry is shown in a post- 1883 attached image page 76 on mtbr. Page 80 post 1992 spells out some differences.
http://www.e-hongfu-bikes.com/index.php ... cts_id=291" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I'm using Avid BB7 as a rear. I've read good reviews about the much improved 2012 XTR 985-6 and Formula R1. Avid XX would be cheaper but seem to require bleeding knowledge to get their best performance. I'm looking for the Avids to save 150 when comparing used prices.

do you know the weight of that frame? I like that the head tube is less steep than the ltbikes frame. the avid BB7 are so much cheaper than hydro brakes around the same weight. do you know of some other light mechanical brakes? I don't have a need for hydro brakes, although they would be nice. I'd have to spend $400 on them, vs bb7 which are way less.

You can get cheap hydraulic brakes. I still haven't replaced the SLX brakes that came with my Scale. To be honest I'm quite satisfied with them, and probably won't get new ones before I get a new bike.

Loads of people would take their SLX brakes off new bikes and sell them for next to nothing. I wouldn't bother going down the mechanical route...

hmm, slx do have decent reviews. I can't see to find much on weight for them, I don't know if they will be light enough for my bike weight goal. on pricepoint they are listed as "333g (Front)/ 356g (Rear) -Weight includes caliper, lever and cable only." I assume thats bled?

add 200gr for 160mm rotors they seem heavy.

Well IMHO it's not worth the weight savings going from hydraulic to mechanical disc brakes. Brakes are kinda important