Fork help?

[aedifica]

I was recently advised that it would be a good idea to replace my fork soon.* That means deciding what to replace it with, though--carbon? steel? aluminum? titanium? (probably not titanium). Curved? straight? I have no idea, I just know that what I have now works, but something else might be even better. Does anyone here enjoy bike-geeking about forks? What I have now is a straight carbon fork on a mostly-carbon road bike, and I ride on roads from smooth to potholey. Advice is welcome, I'm feeling overwhelmed by the technical details when I search on this online.


* Turns out it isn't a good idea to let things hang from your handlebars, if the things are long enough to get caught in the wheel. I bent a wheel to the point where I had to replace the wheel, not just have it trued. I am so grateful that this happened at a time in my life when I could afford the repair! And since there may have been damage to the fork at the same time, better to replace it soon than have it break sometime when I'm out riding.

Comments

[sara]

Yeah, it's why I've never looked seriously at carbon bikes (whereas my daughter has a carbon fiber violin bow, and I think it's awesome and really want one of my own). If you're changing out the fork should you do the stays too as long as it's in the shop?

I've been toying with the idea of commuting on something both cheaper and more skirt-friendly than my Trek touring bike...but I keep telling myself that I don't actually NEED to own all the bikes in the entire world.

[daedala]

"I keep telling myself that I don't actually NEED to own all the bikes in the entire world."

Why?????