Road forks hold the front wheel in place on a bike. A fork has several parts, the two legs that sit either side of the wheel are known as "fork blades", these connect to a crown (situated just above the wheel connecting the two blades), the crown then connects to a "steerer tube" (the tube that runs through your frames headtube).
Over the years steerer tube sizes have evolved, originally 1 Inch was the standard this then evolved to a 1 1/8 Inch and now we have tapered steerer tubes in various sizes (standard tapered steers are either 1 1.8" - 1.5" or 1 1/4") that increase the surface area around the bottom part of the headset making them stiffer and much more responsive. Anyone who has ever experienced fork judder should seriously consider swapping to a frame and fork with a tapered head tube/ steerer tube.
Typically 700c road bike forks are made from 4 materials, aluminium, carbon fibre, steel and titanium.
Aluminium forks are fairly low cost, relatively lightweight, stiff and durable so they can be a popular option among touring cyclists and people looking for low cost replacements.
Titanium road forks are incredibly strong and because titanium as a material is fairly compliant they reduce the road vibration so you are less fatigued. The Nevi titanium forks we have on sale are designed to be just as stiff (if not stiffer) than their carbon counterparts giving you the best of both worlds; a lightweight, stiff yet comfortable fork. Due to the amount of work involved in manufacturing titanium forks the price is higher then a carbon, alloy or steel fork but if you can afford it not only will you stand out from the crowd but you will have a fork that performs like nothing else.
Steel forks are heavier and more compliant than alloy, titanium or carbon forks so the road vibration is reduced.
Carbon road forks are without question the most popular option among road cyclists, they are very lightweight, stiff and responsive. Carbon is also a relatively low cost material meaning you can achieve top performance without breaking the bank.