Nearly a month ago, I picked up a Giant Boulder SE. A week later, someone stole my front fork (SR/Suntour XC60) and rear tire. I've been doing a little bit of research and a lot of lurking around here and I've whittled it down to two options. Do I replace the parts or pick up an entirely new bike?
I was quoted approximately $400-$500 (Canadian pesos) to replace everything and upgrade to what I think was a Marzocchi MX Comp Air (though I could be wrong).
Alternatively, I could spend an extra three hundred and pick up a Kona Fire Mountain, which was initially one of the bikes I was looking at.
I'm biking primarily as a commuter but I live close enough to some nice trails that it doesn't preclude me from going out if I have a few hours to kill.

So any suggestions on my situation would be appreciated. Thanks.

Also, are mechanical discs really worth it? For the extra money to they really stop that much better than v-brakes?

Get the fork rather than the Fire Mountain. Having a nice fork like the Marz MX on your Giant will make for a better ride than another lower end bike, like the Kona.

Are disc's worth it? To me only if you have lots of $, or ride in wet and muddy conditions frequently. In the dry I find my Deore V's with MEC pads stop just as well as my buddies bikes with discs, although they have higher lever effort.

If you get the new fork... be careful it doen't get lifted like your last one! I use a cable lock to secure my front tire and fork (though arch and crown) to the rack.

How does someone get their forks stolen? Oh, you're from Ont. nuff said!

I agree with KrisA, the Boulder is a decent bike, but in stock format the fork was it's detriment. Now you have an opportunity to buy a replacement.

There are closeout deals all over the internet right now on '03 and '04 forks.

maybe the guy stole the fork to tell you that it needed changing.

Apparently there's one hell of a crack habit going around the neighbourhood I left it in (for an hour and a half, in a well-lit area). It's especially nice to know afterwards.

I think what I'm going to end up doing is fixing the frame I've got now. I'll throw on a nice fork and the only commuting it will ever see is to work and back (semi-suburban children's hospital. The bike rack is twenty feet from the security office).

On a related note, I found a completely un-ridable 15 spd in my mother's garage but the frame seems to be in passable shape. I was wondering how feasible it would be to turn it into a not-worth-taking singlespeed for downtown errands and whatnot. Could I just stop by the used bike shop and swap both gearsets for single sprockets, replace the brakepads and get someone to true the wheels?

hahahahaaha! lol

The single speed idea is great, but just find a gear you like, lock down the stops and remove the cables and shifters. Economical SS!

Lock down the stops?

I think he means the max and minimum distances that the derailleurs will go to shift gears. Once you've picked your favourite gear, you can close these down using the adjustment screws and remove the shifters/cables The derailleurs should help keep the chain at the right postion and tension.

Cheap mechanical disc brakes are crap, the only mechanicals that i would even consider would be the avid mechs, get a decent set of V's rather than a cheap set of discs....