Sorted I need a fork, I need many things, I digress.

A few things I remember from mine, I could fit 27mm vittoria open pave tyres with mudguards.

I couldn't fit 32mm tyres without mudguards, the chain stays were a bit too close.

When I fitted the thorn fork, which wasn't their audax model but something older they were selling off cheap, the front brake pads didn't reach the rim nicely using the original tektro brakes. I ended up using some miche 47-57's which were actually tektro anyway and they were ok. The originals were ever so slightly too short and I was tempted to file the slot a tad.
I've got a nicer set of calipers, I hope they fit. I ordered the satin black ones, got a Reynolds sticker on them so hopefully they'll be ok.
 
I've got a nicer set of calipers, I hope they fit. I ordered the satin black ones, got a Reynolds sticker on them so hopefully they'll be ok.
Thorn do make quality forks, I have a couple of sets of their 853 forks and they are the nicest forks I've ever ridden, though a bit expensive. Sometimes they appear at a sale price if there is a chip or paint imperfection
 
Is a straight steel fork ever as comfortable as a curved one?
You can build in some ride softness or compliance with steel quality, and some butting to allow the flex along a greater length of the fork blade.
So theoretically a straight fork could be as good, but it would be a lot more difficult and expensive.
As a rule, cheap straight forks are brutish. A curve and taper help a lot, and the material quality and variation is essential.

A pg tube in a lugged fork will be superior to a pg tube in a unicrown, as the wall thickness needs to be much higher for the crown weld than for the brazed joint into the lug.

Likewise a tapered fork of even wall thickness will be superior to a straight tube, and a curve superior again.
 
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Thorn do make quality forks, I have a couple of sets of their 853 forks and they are the nicest forks I've ever ridden, though a bit expensive. Sometimes they appear at a sale price if there is a chip or paint imperfection
I had a club tour which was a complete titanic anchor, makes Tom's sardar look like a race bike😖. Nicely made though. The fork was £102 posted, I'll save for a spa audax in Ti and use the Thorn fork in that. if I don't like the Dawes, that said it rode very well. I nearly bought yours.
 
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