Originally Posted by
niknak
Fork length and fork offset (rake) are considered driving dimensions. The designer determines both dimensions and the builder builds to those dimensions. It doesn't matter if the fork blades are curved or straight so long as they produce the right length and offset. However if two forks have the same length but different offsets, then yes, they will make the steering feel differently. That steering behavior is measured as trail and wheel flop factor. There's plenty of info on the Web about those topics.
thanks for the general explanation.
I guess in relation to what this fellow is asking, one of my bikes, my more tough, expedition type tourer, was originally a sort of mtb design , surly troll, and even in its dropbar config, and loaded a good amount, I love it's steering characteristics. The designers did a great job with it handling reasonably quickly, but is nice and stable at any speed.
my point here is that if I were to change a fork, I wouldn't want its steering and handling to change, as it's clearly one of the factors i enjoy riding this bike, so I hope this fellow can retain how his bike feels after the forkchange.