I just bought a 1980 Women's Varsity for the handlebars and stem because I think I want to swap to drop bars on my Suburban, and perhaps stock up on a few spare parts... and maybe even use the crank to replace my front freewheel.

While I was unloading it, I realized that it had a solid blade fork.

I am curious, in my searching, it seems that this was the lower end way to do things, and one of the things that sets the Continental/Suburban ahead of the Varsity.

However, I find myself intrigued by the looks of the forks... and the steerer length seems to be about the right length for my suburban.

How are the solid forks when compared with the hollow forks in the areas of durability/strength, ride and handling? Any significant weight differences? Are they interchangeable?

Thanks for whatever information or comments you can provide.