Mountain Biking - what options for 50-80mm travel forks?

I have a rockhopper A1 from 1996. the frame is great and it has lasted all this time. I have been using it for mountain bike touring but i really need some front suspension for it as my arms are getting wrecked on the downhills with all the weight im carrying.

I'm pretty sure the geometry of the bike is not capable of handling anything much over 80mm travel - but i could be wrong.

Ive been riding without front forks for a long time no, so even awful suspension will feel amazing, so im not looking for anything top notch, just some forks that will make the ride more comfortable.
and if im carrying a good 20lb's of weight, does this mean i need some better forks, or do i just need the preload adjust?

thanks, any suggestions and comments will help.

I have a rockhopper A1 from 1996. the frame is great and it has lasted all this time. I have been using it for mountain bike touring but i really need some front suspension for it as my arms are getting wrecked on the downhills with all the weight im carrying.

I'm pretty sure the geometry of the bike is not capable of handling anything much over 80mm travel - but i could be wrong.
Ive been riding without front forks for a long time no, so even awful suspension will feel amazing, so im not looking for anything top notch, just some forks that will make the ride more comfortable.
and if im carrying a good 20lb's of weight, does this mean i need some better forks, or do i just need the preload adjust?

thanks, any suggestions and comments will help.

pics or it didn't happen!!


oh and seriously, whats your budget?

I'd look at something air sprung like the Rock Shox Reba. Air offers a great range of adjustability to suit the amount of weight you're carrying, and the travel can be reduced by installing spacers in the dual air side of the fork. It would be pretty easy to find a 100mm travel Reba on sale somewhere and throw two 20mm all-travel spacers in there to limit it to 60mm.

haha!
i meant to say "without front suspension forks"

my budget is anywhere up to $200. But im going back to england in a few months and could purchase something there, so i would probably have about 150 pounds to spend there.

anyways, thanks for the suggestion svr. those rockshox reba's look good but i will definately be using v-brakes and none of them seem to have v brake mounts. also, most of the specs say they are adjustable between 85 -100mm, is this taking into account the all-travel spacers??

thanks for your help.

V-brake compatible models are out there if you look hard enough, and yeah the spacers can limit the travel.