Mountain Biking - lightest $500 hardtail?

I'm light and would like the lightest hardtail I can get for around 500 bucks. Any suggestions? LBS has base model Rockhoper on sale for $399. Seems like a good deal but dont know how heavy it is in that price range of 500.

I believe the best 500.00 bike despite weight would be the Gt avalanche 2.0 disc.
It's nicely setup and has the best frame at that price point i my opnion.

http://www.gtbicycles.com/mountain/catalog/detail.php?id=830&country=usa&brand=moun

Why so concerned with weight?

A Giant without a doubt.

The Giant would be the Yukon, which is a nice bike. It's nice in black

Speaking of Giant, you might be able to get an '04 Iguana for around $500, if any shops still have them in stock. The Yukon has a crappy fork and drivetrain.

Not saying anything against the Giant, but 399 for an 05 base Rockhopper is a pretty good deal.

The rock hopper isnt light. The Hard rock is lighter then the rock hopper IMO from a side by side pick up and judge test not a scale.

My girl got an iron horse warrior comp after testing riding the two mentioned above, the iron horse is lighter then both mentioned above with better wheels, disc brakes, and better derailers/shifters...for under $500.

The only advantage that the specialized bikes had was lifetime frame warranty...but we werent worried about that as she doesnt hammer her equipment.

For $500 you aren't getting race bike weight from any brand. So unless the rest of you have across the board weights for all brands and sizes the conversation is moot

For $500 you aren't getting race bike weight from any brand. So unless the rest of you have across the board weights for all brands and sizes the conversation is moot

Very true, so he should be looking for the lightest FRAME since he will undoubtedly want to do upgrades later.

Since GIANT makes everybody else's Aluminum frames, you can make a good bet that they reserve the best stuff for themselves. Namely, their fluid-form stuff.

I recently had my Yukon frame replaced, and I was shocked at how ridiculously light it felt.

buy a dirt-cheap track bike. sure, it sucks for off-roading, but hey, it's light, right?

honestly, though, I don't get what the big deal is about weight saving. Sure, heavier bikes suck for hill-climbing, but the same thing is said for heavy people. I, like many others, could stand to lose 20 pounds. I lose that, and it's like I don't even have a bike anymore.

unless you have no weight to lose, get a bike with good components and be happy about it, and forget about weight.