Depends on the riding ,wheight on the front and the direction of the impact.. But for a Head ange below 60degrees, I would defo go for a double clamped fork.
When you lower the head angle , you wil loose some of the plush , suspended feeling and it will loose a bit of traction on gravel and such. BUT.. Impacts like curbs and potholes (at speed) will actually be more in line with the the fork at 45 degrees than at 60-70degrees. A raked out fork will also cope with braking better than a steep fork, as the braking pushes the front wheel back.(it won't brake better but the off-axis load on the fork will be less) Your big enemy here is the weight on the front and jumps.
MTB downhill race rigs have a head angle of 63-66 degrees. They hold up just fine doing 30-40 mph in the woods , doing jumps and big rock-gardens , often through steep terrain , with most of the rider weight on the fork. The strongest fork ever made is the 2003-2007 marzocchi DH forks (exept the junior-t) whith the Monster T as the ultimate big-drop fork.
you should be able to find a used 888RV for about 100$.
My freeride rig , (santacruz nomad with Marzocchi 888RC2X 170mm) with 66 degree HA has no problem with 5 feet drops to flat.
.manitu
