I'm giving myself a bit of agida about this.
Easiest/quickest on the 614 would be a Soma Champs Elysees 1" caliper fork. New top headset stack, new stem, so redo/rewrap at least half a bar. $230
Next choice would be the same, but go with the canti fork to minimize fender clearance issues. Same $230, same installation issues.
Interestingly, Soma's same CE fork in 650b is cheaper, $170. But I already have 35-622 f/r, and probably couldn't go much wider than 38-584 w/o dimpling. Change wheels, change brakes, oy gevalt.
Maybe the least actual headache, and for sure cheapest, would be to swap the 614 parts over to the Fuji Touring Series IV frame I've got, but never ridden. Lower trail, more battered/uglier, built for 27" so 700c clearance should be a little better. Only issue there is dealing with the cantis---gotta be vintage/high-profile, because the boss spacing is narrow, and gotta make sure the brake shoes can get a little lower to hit the 700c rims. Some of the vintage cantis don't have great height adjustment ranges.
Or just keep riding the Trek as is, hoping for no failure, or a graceful one if it is to fail.
Originally Posted by
scarlson
Grant would crow about it, at least back in the old days: steel fails gracefully! I do think the VO minirack I had on it helped quite a bit to keep things together as well. As for your bike - examine it carefully! Maybe even put on the brakes and push the bike forward to watch the fork flex. You might be able to see cracks if they open up under flex. Although, I'll say I saw absolutely nothing, and based on examination of the rust in the cracked surfaces, it seems they may have started from the inside and propagated out, so there'd be no way to see anything until they come through.