I'm going to bump and resurrect this very, very old thread and I hope no one minds. There is a A LOT of very good information here.

I am completely blown away that this not discussed more frequently. I have a 2014 Trek 8.2 DS with an el cheapo Suntour suspension front fork that is completely worthless since it cannot be locked out.
I have searched, scoured and looked for concrete data on replacing my Suntour with an aftermarket rigid fork and for the life of me, I cannot find any solid data.
I cannot believe I'm the only individual with a 8.2 DS (or other lower end DS series) that has not wanted to complete this sort of upgrade.
Maybe it really isn't as common as I would think it would be?

The offset according to Trek's website is 38mm.

I am going to check out Vicious Cycles website, but as someone else mentioned above (several years ago), they are a bit pricier.
I am contemplating the Surly Ogre which works with my cantilever brakes + 700 / 29" wheels + 1-1/8" tube.
My only concern being is the offset on the Surly Ogre fork is 43mm which is ever so slightly longer which would make the steering a tad bit slower.

Any thoughts here or other recommendations to a suspension corrected aftermarket fork that would work with my bike?
It sounds like 38mm is fairly small for a 700 / 29" bike and may not be that common to find.
Has any one else done this that would NOT affect the geometry or handling of the bike?
If so, could you share what aftermarket fork you went with....?

Thanks!!