I wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the mechanics forum, but since it is mostly a frame materials question, here goes:

I need to replace a fork on a 1993 Trek 700. The 700 had a cro-mo main triangle with hi-ten fork and stays. I have found an original 700 fork (hi-ten) or Dimension makes a cro-mo replacement that is about 140g lighter. The weight savings is nice, but a drop in the bucket on an old steel hybrid. What I'm mainly wondering is if the cro-mo fork will make a noticable difference in ride quality or strength. This bike is my general purpose/gravel grinder/winter bike, so it takes some abuse.

Ideally, I'd like to get a high quality, butted, modern cro-mo frameset, but it's not in the budget and honestly I really like this old bike. If I could find a 21" 730 frameset from the same era, I'd be really happy but none have popped up in the area (a few 700s but no 720 or 730s).

So, I'm looking for opinions, should I go with an original hi-ten fork for the cost of shipping, or get a new cro-mo fork for about $50?