When it comes to doing a face plant on pavement or avoiding one I tend to err on the side of caution. I had a springer like the old Schwinn type on my Felt and didn't like how the wheel position changed under load or heavy braking. I'd read about how some of the vintage (rusty) or bent/low springer forks would fracture at the pivot bolt, and I'd read about how some of the cheaper made forks would wear at the spring retainer bolt and being paranoid I went with a linkage fork. My paranoia is based on several thousands of dollars worth of pavement related dental work. There are a few more robust ones around but I'm very happy with my Felt Abraham Linkage.