Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 19,344
Likes: 5,462
From: Rochester, NY
Bikes: Stewart S&S coupled sport tourer, Stewart Sunday light, Stewart Commuting, Stewart Touring, Co Motion Tandem, Stewart 3-Spd, Stewart Track, Fuji Finest, Mongoose Tomac ATB, GT Bravado ATB, JCP Folder, Stewart 650B ATB
No. The steel fork will feel different. How you describe that difference we might learn...
I will make a comment about this- " I have an early 90's Specialized Allez, lugged steel frame with the awful, in my opinion, aluminum direct drive fork. I love the ride of the frame, but the fork is stiff and uncomfortable with dull input feel."
Those forks were generally considered to be rather more flexible then steel ones. Main reason is they use nearly the same dimensions (steerer diameter) but with a material 1/3 as stiff as steel. I suspect what you're trying to describe is the lack stiffness.
Your frame is well designed and is, depending on the version, nice to really well done. The AL forks, on the other hand, took away from the crispness of handling IMO. Andy.