Originally Posted by
sstorkel
Sounds like we agree. I guess you didn't bother to read the last paragraph of my post? The one where I said, "Do an apples-to-apples comparison without a fork swap and the "steel" bike ends up with a 1-2 pound weight advantage due to component selection. Most steel bikes the OP could afford will also include a steel fork which means gaining another 1-2 pounds of weight (2-4 total)."
Our difference of opinion is that I don't consider having a carbon fork on my steel bike a "fork swap" any more than I consider the carbon fork on my aluminum bike (it has one, a full carbon steerer in fact) a "fork swap". If you want to go down the path of including the fork, why not steel rims as well? Handlebars? Seatpost? You can make a steel bike weigh whatever you like if you follow that logic. It's a specious argument.
I don't know the OP's budget, he never really quoted it, so I can't really comment on whether or not he can afford a steel bike with a CF fork on it, however, I did link to one earlier than costs $800, but you dismissed it, because apparently nobody buys bikes from Bikesdirect?
How about the Jamis Quest Comp, that's $979 MSRP and has a carbon fork. I know, Jamis dealer is 50 miles away!
