One other thought--- how much of this difference in ride is in your head? I ride a Look road bike, and have three steel fixed gears--- all with lugged steel forks. I find a lugged steel fork quite nice, albeit heavy. There is no way I would say it is a "much nicer" ride. Carbon is just much lighter. In fact, I suggest that a carbon fork provides a worse ride than a steel one. I have never had massive fork flex on a steel bike, never had any form of a high speed shimmy, I could go on and on. On the other hand, $150 is a good price.