Originally Posted by
Chris Pringle
You’ve got a very nice, classic rigid bike there. Honestly, it should be kept original. If you enjoy the old-school feel of 26ers, you’ll be better off getting a proper hardtail in the second-hand market that came with the right geometry for front suspension, disc brakes, etc. If you start messing around with upgrades the bike was not designed for, you’ll quickly realize that it won’t handle as well and it’ll lose its mojo. You may regret the wasted cash. Keep in mind that 26er hardtails or even full-suspension bikes from 12-20 years ago can be found at bargain prices on Craigslist or Pinkbike. Highly recommend going that route.
I agree with every single part of this. You will spend more money on the switch than you will on an entry level hardtail. And that's assuming you can find a suspension fork that will work with your bike.
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/talon-4-2021
And after all that, the added stress you put on the head tube could result in stress cracking at the joints.