Mountain Biking - Help! Working on my first setup

Hey guys I really wanna get into mountain biking but right now cant afford a brand new bike. Currently I have a Giant Boulder, a very old one. I believe it has 26in tires and is fully rigid constructed with chromoly tubing. Overall it is a nice bike everything is in working condition but I do want to make one change. I would like to install new front forks that have suspension. Being new to the sport if you could recommend a nice set of forks that will keep me happy for awhile without breaking the bank. Thank you for all your help.:D

How much money do you want to spend?

We go through different cycles as mountain bikers and I might be able to speak for a few here who have gone from the cheap rigid bikes to full blown $5000 120mm full boingers and still keep a rigid bike around. Save your money. A good suspension fork costs more than your bikes worth and your better off upgrading things like grips, pedals, saddle and bars.

If you stay in this sport for long, you would appreciate a good Cro-Mo rigid in the long run. Vintage steel/rigid is cool! :)

If you could post a couple photos of your bike, that may help us narrow down any suggestions for your particular bike. Part of the reason I'm asking is that some Boulders have cranksets that are under recall (because the crankarms snap in half) and if that's yours, you'd be entitled to a free new crankset, even now.

How old are we talking? You might be looking at a threaded headset too.

Alright so the general response is save your money. So now my plan is to ride this one until my seasonal work starts back up (I'm only fourteen) when I have saved up enough money what would be a good entry level bike. Also is there any techniques I should know of when riding a fully rigid bike like mine?

i cant seem to figure out how to upload pictures but oh well

The only real technique you need to know is have fun. Otherwise there is a sticky at the top of the MTB subforum with techniques for new riders. For what it's worth, I have a ridged cromoly 94 Giant Yukon that I just ended up swapping back to stock ridged fork and doing a full overhaul and plan on ripping some trails on it come spring. Ridged might not be quite as fast but it's tons of fun. One thing I'll say that I think would be a very worth while upgrade is good tires, preferably something with a higher volume. Big tires really help smooth out your ride on a ridged bike and in general good tires are a big upgrade if you have cheap/stock tires on there now. They'll help your traction and reduce the amount of effort you have to expend and allow you to ride and have fun longer before you get worn out. As Hou-Tex suggested, you might upgrade other things like grips and seat to help your enjoyment. Otherwise just make sure it shifts and stops well and go rip some trails.

What would be a nice set of tires you would recommend? I will be taking my bike in for a tune up hope fully sometime soon here. Im hoping that the fully rigid bike will really help me with being able to pick good lines and getting a nice flow going before I upgrade.

The only real technique you need to know is have fun.

Totally, just don't try to keep up with anyone riding with suspension, as you won't. For rigid riding, keep off the saddle, and us you arms and legs as suspension, big volume tires help as well.

What would be a nice set of tires you would recommend?

Best thing is to find what other riders in your area are using, as different ground conditions need different tires, your LBS should be able to point you in the right direction for this

i cant seem to figure out how to upload pictures but oh well

Hit "Reply" and then look for the "Go Advanced" button. Then look below for the "Attachments" section and hit Manage Attachments. Another window opens, hit Add Files at the upper-right corner and add your photos, hit Done when you've got them uploaded, and then hit Submit Reply.

Thanks alot guys it has been a huge help reading your responses