Originally Posted by Gotte

That's a nice looking bike. Concerning suspension forks - I can see them being really handy if you're touring in the wilderness, off road etc, then it could make a world of difference. In fact, I've seen some wild tours in Bike magazine and on the web, up mountain tracks only a goat would consider, and I'd certainly think about it then, but on asphalt and hardpack, I'd go with a straight fork (my preference is a Kona Project 2) I find the track just right, so little to go wrong and when weight is all, why bother scrimping with your kit when you can shed it at the front end?