I recently purchased a Kona Tanuki frame, not the full bike, just the frame and rear shock (I got a good deal on this frame).

I want to transfer the fork from my hardtail to the new Kona frame.

The fork in question is a 2010 Marzocchi Corsa Ti RC with 100mm of travel.

The Kona Tanuki, as a complete bike, comes with a fork of 130mm of travel.

I have been told by a LBS employee that putting a fork with 30mm less of travel on this bike would "seriously affect the handling of the bike from what Kona had designed."

I asked in the Kona forums and a Kona Techie stated, "The fork could cause some issues. It is an inch shorter than stock so it will steepen the head and seat angle by a degree and lower the BB by nearly an inch."

But the techie did not say anything about "seriously affecting the handling." From what I can gleen from the techie response is that the handlebar won't be as high and there will be less clearance underneath the BB.

Used for heavier XC riding on ATV trails with rocks. No jumps, freeriding, or drops (I'm too old).

So, if I put this 100mm travel fork on this bike are we talking about such bad handling that it will be unridable? Would I even notice a difference? Or even a big difference, between a 130mm and 100mm fork (excluding amount of travel or "bounce" available, of course)?