Indeed, I've been told the front forks on the Boulder are actually starting to wear out (she's done 11400 km since 2012 alone, probably close to 18000 km total) and I might need to look into replacing the front fork.

So there's an opportunity to swap it out for something different, if it's not too expensive. (I don't fancy spending much more than AU$400 on a fork for a bike that was $500 brand new in January 2010.)

Given my experiment the other day, I think I'll rule out the rigid forks, because feeling every bump in the road and having everything in the front basket shuddering didn't impress me at all. The thought is do I go one of the same, or do I go for something a little more up market. I guess I'll talk to the local bike shop and see what they can source.

The other option is of course, to retire the Boulder and either get a new commuter bike, or to go for something more optimised for touring and make the Talon my commuter. Again, I'll have to do some research. For sure there'll be front suspension, while the roads around here aren't what I'd call "bumpy", a velodrome they are not!