Fork for Hardtail 96 factory XT (might be a 95 Homegrown XT )

80mm or 100mm travel rides nice. My son has a 100 mm on his hard tail, and I have an 80mm ready to go on my sweetspot frame. Just make sure it s an 1 1/8" straight and isn't a tapered steer tube.

Depends on what type brakes you are going to run up front. The Fox disc/v-brake compatible forks are harder to find, the disc are usually easier and a little less expensive. If you want to run a Rockshox SID (2001 to 2005 w/lock out) up front, they are usually significantly cheaper and easier to find, if you can live with the 28mm stanchions versus the 32mm stanchions on the Fox. I have both SIDs and Fox RL on my bikes, and they both ride well. I'm sure there are other options, but the air forks ride the best in my opinion.