The forks on the bike I got from Bikenerd have to go. They're nice looking, but prone to terrifying judder, 26TPI-threaded and I had to file out one of the dropout slots to get the wheel to sit straight. They're also not originals and don't really match the lugs on the frame. Despite this, the handling is spot on so it's a happy coincidence of length, offset and head angle.
Anyway, this isn't a case of "buy a stock replacement fork". The frame has a slack head angle and was built for 27" wheels. I've just measured the offset accurately with the forks on a flat surface and it's 54.6mm
A standard replacement fork is 43mm, which would make it almost impossible to turn corners. Making the blades shorter (for 700c wheels only) would steepen the head angle and allow a smaller offset, but then the top tube would no longer be horizontal and it would look stupid.
So...Argos, here I come. Might as well have an A-head while I'm at it - I got a new polished Race Face Deus XC stem from eBay (the Nitto bars are 25.4mm clamp) for £20. Sorry, Clarion, but A-head is noticeably stiffer and immune from seizing even if it's a bit ugly. I'll also have an M5 boss on the RH blade for a lamp, because sandwiching the lamp bracket under the brake probably contributes to the general judder.
