Thanks, I contacted CK already in regards to this and they also confirmed that their i7 headset (pratical as it is), won't help me and my 42mm drop in headset. I also know that CaneCreek make a nifty converter but that also doesn't apply in my case.

Thanks for taking the time to look these up. I naturally have done a bunch of searching but the Spot CX fork didn't get a hit on my radar. I will check it out.

Since I have a Frankenstein build, my ultimate goal is to find a 650c carbon disc fork with 1-1/8" steerer. I mistyped earlier and wrote 700c but ideally it would be 650c (700c works too though). Ironically, I have found a bunch of 26" forks that match my needs however the axel to crown length is quite a bit longer than my existing fork. Since MTB forks seem to be suspension corrected or have tons of tire clearence so they are actually "longer" than my existing 700c fork.

The new Enve 2.0 road fork with disc brake looks like it would work just great should it have a straight 1-1/8" steerer or I found a headset conversion.

Talk about challenging!