Originally Posted by phoebeisis
Don't waste $40 on a cheapo rigid fork-waste it on high quality used wheels that can go on a better bike someday.
PS-If you do go for a rigid fork-don't go the cheapo route-get a used, or discounted new(Nashbar) carbon fiber fork(used under $100) that you can install on a better bike someday. Don't cut the steering tube(if new)-just shim it with spacers, so one day you can put it on a better frame.
The Tange rigid forks are surprisingly nice - the fact that they are inexpensive is a bonus. These are bomb proof, much lighter than suspended forks, made of high quality chromoly steel. They can easily handle cross country riding - however I'd certainly get a better bike and a quality suspension fork if I were a more than occassional XC rider.
I looked up the Nashbar Carbon fork out of curiousity. I'm sure it's a nice product. However, it's only 0.5 lbs lighter than the tange fork and costs $150 compared to just $40. If the price difference were small, I'd say carbon all the way.
Many commuters find themselves looking at road bikes and cross bikes after a few months on the mountain bike or hybrid. In that case, he'd have dumped money into a soon-to-be-unwanted commuter with a fairly expensive carbon fork. Don't end up kicking yourself later when you decide that what you really want is a cross or touring bike, but you've already dropped all your money into an entry-level mountain bike. Just my thoughts.
Good luck with your upgrades! Sorry for all of the side banter in your thread. Some folks appreciate nice things (like carbon forks and lightweight wheels), some of us appreciate most-bang-for-the-buck (like chromoly forks and more-than-sturdy-enough-for-commuting, but cheap, mountain bike wheels).