If you were to use a suspension fork, I would figure a 29er fork would be best since 29er rim is the same as a 700c which is what you have now.

I saw a 520 with 42mm tires on it. Not sure if you could go wider, but if you could, that might be a possibility. 42mm or wider tire in the rear and a fat 29er up front on your suspension fork. Itll put some tilt back to your position since the 29er tire is taller than the 42.

Another option would be a large 27.5" tire and wheel up front. That would give you about the same overall size as your rear wheel and tire.


But this is all funky since it would be a suspension fork up front wonking up the geometry. Is your hardtail MTB something you could set up for touring?