What is the lightest mountain bike for under $300?

As of 2014, one of the lightest mountain bikes at the $300 price point is the Gravity BaseCamp 1.0, weighing 30 pounds. Many manufacturers do not list a bike's overall weight, and most weighing is done by specialist bike shops or biking hobbyists.

One mountain bike made specifically to be as light as possible is the a bike manufactured by Open that weighs in at a very light 14.8 pounds but comes at a cost of $6,700 as of 2013. Removing weight from a bike requires specialized manufacturing and materials, using carbon instead of aluminum or steel in its construction. As parts decrease in weight, manufacturing becomes more specialized, and the price increases.