New Fork for Merlin

Today I finally rode the Merlin (lately I've been sleeping late). First thing I notice when getting on the bike was the height of the handlebar...they felt extremely low compared to my other bikes (in the U.S.A.). This handlebar height has been bothering me for a while but the steerer tube was cut too short, more in fashion of times 13 years ago. I needed a new fork with a longer steerer tube, therefore last winter I ordered a new fork. I needed to find a fork with similar crown-to-dropout length to the original fork. I also wanted a fairly light/strong fork, not to take away from the performance of the bike. I settled on a Winwood carbon fiber fork as a compromise. I had the local bicycle shop install the fork and a new Chris King headset. I rode the fork down a short set of stairs on the way home, and it felt very good. The handlebar height is better, and the fork stability on the stairs felt spot-on. More riding/testing to come.