FWIW, I swapped out the Kinesis carbon fork on my '98 Litespeed last year in favor of a Tange Prestige curved blade model. My reason for the change was my size plus rough roads; I got nervous thinking about a snapping sound every time I jarred across a cattle guard (irrational, I know, but it wore on me). After a season aboard the steel fork, I could not tell a difference in the feel of the ride, better or worse. The only drawback is, I don't think they make a 1" threaded version.