Originally Posted by
Trav1s
That being said - an mid 90's Hardrock plus new tires and derailuer upgrade gave me a capable singletrack bike for not much cash. Installing the 2.25" tires made a world of difference when encountering roots/etc on trails over the original 1.75" tires. It was not a forgiving or comfortable than my current bike with a suspension fork but it was a great option to explore.
As much as I like to upgrade my bikes, removing a suspension fork from the bike in the original post and replacing it with a rigid piece seems like madnes... pure madness I say
especially if it's as involved & expensive as just replacing a fork, with the same thing, never mind switching something around. I swapped my 29er fork a cpl years ago & spent as much on tools as the fork. granted it's a cheap fork, but still ...