Help me choose a fork for an unbuilt bike

So, essentially, after about two years on my current bamboo bike, I fancy making a new lighter stiffer shinier generally whizzier one. Before I design the frame geometry, I'm trying to decide what fork to use. I have some funny requirements so it's a bit tricky just to use google, but it's the kind of thing where human intelligence should sort it pretty quickly. [edit - long and boring post, see my next one for the tl;dr summary]

At the moment, I fancy carbon fibre, but I still don't know whether this is a good idea. I use the bike for everything, but realistically use it most of the time commuting and getting around town, with occasional light off-road stuff. Maybe a lightweight metal one of some description would be nearly as good and cheaper.

Because I'm building the frame from scratch, axle-crown distance and rake is not such a big deal because I can adjust the headtube height and angle to get the trail I want. Though nothing stupid that will limit my choice in future.

I use a front hub brake at the moment but can see myself switching to disc to save a bit more weight, so a disc specific fork is best (even if I'm still using the hub brake, I don't trust a non-disc fork not to do horrid things when I brake sharply).

I don't like the look of forks where the crown is u-shaped and blends into the legs (whatever that's called); something that has a flatter top (like classic steel road forks, or most MTB forks), or v-shaped (like most carbon road forks) is more my kind of thing. Also I must be able to run a full mudguard, with clearance for 35mm slicks.

Lastly, cheapness is of the essence. Say £150 max, cheaper would be much better, though that limits me greatly on the carbon front. I'm considering the 26in carboncycles.cc MTB forks, though they still have quite a long A-C length which will limit my choices in future...

Anyone got any ideas? I'll post things that I find as I come up with them.

Cheers :)
Ben

tl;dr because that was all a bit long-winded -

I want a lightweight but not flimsy 1 1/8in steerer fork, axle-crown probably no more than 410mm, with mudguard eyelets, room for a 35c tyre, and ideally disc brake fittings.

I've had another look at the Exotic / carboncycles.cc forks and they don't have eyelets as I thought they did, so they're out. So far the nearest I've got are these, having relaxed my distaste for monocoque forks...

Kinesis DC37, £120ish: http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/51770/Kinesis_DC37_Carbon_Forks
Trigon MC01 (loads on ebay), £110ish, ugly as sin and big A-C.
Spot carbon fork: http://spotbrand.com/bikes/product-page/forks/. Can't find them in the UK but they are lovely looking, bit dear though. [ah bugger, sidewayscycles sell them but they're £199]

No-one got any bright ideas?

youre lucky if his lot keeps quiet.

#stillholdingagrudge

I was looking for some carbon disc-specific forks with mudguard holes, not many options that I could find. There's a german website called python, or venom, or something like that which has some for around £100

Cheers for the tipoff - my German google-fu has failed me but on the bright side I found another potential option:

http://www.mob-bikes.de/quantec-cross-gabel/1280-quantec-carbon-crossgabel-fur-scheibenbremse.html

It says it's designed for integrated headsets, which confuse me. Am I right in thinking that that's just a styling matter (ie. it has a larger top to make a smooth transition into a larger headtube), and a normal non-integrated 1 1/8in headset would do as well?

Cheers for the tipoff - my German google-fu has failed me but on the bright side I found another potential option:

http://www.mob-bikes.de/quantec-cross-gabel/1280-quantec-carbon-crossgabel-fur-scheibenbremse.html

It says it's designed for integrated headsets, which confuse me. Am I right in thinking that that's just a styling matter (ie. it has a larger top to make a smooth transition into a larger headtube), and a normal non-integrated 1 1/8in headset would do as well?

Looks like a standard 1 1/8" threadless steer-tube--- and not the oddball 1 1/4"-1 1/8" that is becoming popular. The headtubes might have been pre-reemed for hiddenset headsets-- what they mean, I think, by integrated-- but hard to tell. Normally its the frame (headtube) that determines if hidden (Dia-Compe or Campa System) or not.
Note: 1) Its an alu tube and not a full carbon fork. 2) At 700g its not lightweight

Ah good catch on the weight. I'm a bit (irrationally?) afraid of carbon steerers, maybe I just need to read up more on them to put my mind at rest, plus get a torque wrench. What's the deal with the tapered steerer? Find it hard to believe that there's much of a benefit... tapered tubes should be stiffer and weigh less, but I bet you have to make the taper section thicker than it would be otherwise...

Another option is a Bontrager Satellite Elite fork, but I can't find anywhere that still sells them. Not mega light either I expect. Also, I've realised that the Trigon fork I mentioned doesn't have eyelets, which is a shame cos someone's selling one for £60...

Alternatively there's always something like this, aluminium but pretty light considering the price (if you believe the manufacturer's specs, haven't checked them out). Expect there's probably loads of options if I drop the carbon plan: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mosso-26-MTB-Aluminium-Disc-Brake-Rigid-Straight-Blade-Fork-Black-Only-/110989447430?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item19d77c9106

use p clips for eyelets then you can have any fork you like

or use raceblades

P clips are a bit messy plus it's not much fun clamping things to CF, though they're an option if I get totally stuck. Raceblades are no good for me, I need the option of running fat tyres and even the XL ones only go up to 23 (?).

I've got xls and running 28s, they're meant to take 35s

Oh really? OK, the site I saw probably just had the details of different models muddled up, thanks for letting me know. It did seem like a pretty stupidly small size for an 'XL'.

I checked the leaflet that came with the raceblades and the xls are 23s to 32s

http://www.carboncycles.cc/?p=197

29er, currently reduced to £114 appx, as previously mentioned, really does tick all the boxes

'cept the axle-crown is about 6cm too long on suspension-corrected 29er forks, and it doesn't have eyelets ;)

FWIW, I think I've decided to go for the Kinesis DC37, or maybe the DC19 if I can find one...