Bump for a relevant thread... when gugie made my new frame, he re-raked a tall Rivendell fork I sent him, for lower trail. We decided on this for the intended purpose of the bike - all-day credit card touring with a loaded front Porteur bag. I can say that when riding the bike without any weight on the front rack, the handling is light and quick, maybe a bit too light. But when I have weight on the front end, it all comes together, and feels right. This, in contrast to the two RBW bikes I have, both with "normal" RBW trail, where the unladen front ends are pretty good, though maybe a bit sluggish, but the loaded handling is simply heavy. All bikes are 700c rims, with the widest tires I can fit.

Lowered front end? Nah... not noticeable, I just set my stem height appropriate to my saddle height.