Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN

I assume you will end up buying a fork. Maybe new, maybe used.

How much weight do you think you would have on the bike. My titanium bike (Lynskey Backroad) handles a load great, but some titanium bikes would be too soft. I am not familiar with your bike.

Do you need mounting points for a low rider rack or do you need mounting points for cargo cages? I do not need to know the answer, but you should know before you go shopping.

If you know the length from the axle to the fork crown race and if you know the fork rake, you could shop around for a steel fork that has the brazons that you need that has specifications similar to what you already have. And of course you would want one to match your wheel axle type and brake type.

If you wanted to be able to use either fork later on the bike, you should get a new headset race and install that on the fork you get instead of removing your old race.

When I bought my Lynskey frame, their fork cost over $300, but I had a steel fork in storage that had specifications that were a very close match to their fork. So I built up the bike with that fork that I already had. That is why my Lynskey has disc brake in back, V brake in front. I was starting with a bare frame, so I was not locked into details like brake type.

If there is a bike charity or a bike coop in your community, they might have some used forks for sale.

I know I did not answer your specific question, but just throwing some ideas that might help you out.

Regarding speed, once you load down a bike with camping gear, etc., having a titanium touring bike is real bling. But if that titanium meant that your bike was only 3 pounds lighter than steel, the speed will be almost exactly the same because your bike will be almost as heavy. I am very happy that I built up my titanium bike, but I did not expect it to be faster or lighter when touring.