So what's the target weight?

[vqdriver]

I've got a 26" 100mm xc full suspension weighing in at 29 pounds and a 26" hardtail at 24 pounds. Both are set up with XT and metal components for daily use. I don't feel like there's any parts I've gotten just for sake of weight savings other than some custom wheels. My goal is to have sensibly light but reasonably long lasting bikes. There's room for improvement for sure but I don't have the money to piece together some uber light race bike either.

So. What would be a good target weight to shoot for?

[GelatiCruiser]

This is like asking "how fast can my car go?" Well, how much money do you have? Lol
Depends on how much you want to spend. I would say that you should make it comfortable to ride, not just light. I have a '12 Talon 2 that started at 33 lbs. Now with just a fork and (heavy) pedals, it's down to 30.8lbs. I'd like to scale it down to 27 or so, but I'm not pressed because I'm comfortable on it now. A wheelset would run me $350-$500...not worth it to me right now.
But I'd say shoot for low 20's and mid 20's.

[moefosho]

Decide on a budget. From there we can see where you can easily drop weight.
My suggestion is Lightweight tires that are set up tubeless. I dropped about a pound of rotational mass on my bike doing that and only spent $50

[vqdriver]

sure, money's really the limitation right?
but aside from that, the question is what's considered "reasonable" and what's considered "lightweight"?

in that vein, if i'm something like 5 pounds away, the budget goes out the window cuz it would be easier to just replace the frame and start over.

[rockyuphill]

You could buy a new bike off the showroom floor that might be as light as a 20 pound hardtail and a 22.5 pound FS bike, heck, they might even be 29" bikes at those weights. So those would be new lightweight and expensive bikes. A 21 pound hardtail and a 24 pound FS could likely be found on a shop floor at a more moderate price. A reasonable level new bike might be 22 pounds for a hardtail and a 25 pound FS bike.

[moefosho]

What bikes are they? I was able to get my Stumpy Hardtail (Aluminum 26) to 22lbs pretty easy. 23 was even easier.
My Mount vision is not a weight weenie bike by any means, but its still 26.9 lbs for a 120mm travel FS. It feels super light on the trails. I have also lost 12 lbs recently and that has made more of a difference for climbing than anything else.

[vqdriver]

what bikes?

fs is a titus racerx, fox front and rear, with mavic wheels
hardtail is a spooky, sid race fork, with dt customs.
both 26"

i'm thinking the big parts are done. and i may be looking at drivetrain/cockpit replacements if i keep the current bikes. if i go down that road, it'll be death by a thousand cuts. like i said, easier to replace.

[moefosho]

The Racer X is a pretty dang good platform for going lightweight.
If you post your full component group we can look at where would be the easiest places to loose weight.

[rockyuphill]

The Racer X should be a 5.5 pound frame, that should be an easy 25 pound XC FS bike. What are the Mavic wheels?

[madsedan]

For me the benchmark is 20 and 25#, 20# target for a hardtail and 25# for a full suspension. Of course where I ride 1x10 is suitable so its easier for me but I'm currently at just under 26# on my 650b SC Nickel and want to try and get it to 25# or less but its getting expensive to do now. The next step for me is going to a carbon frame on my next build out.