Those of you without the fork brace maybe should try this little test...sit on the bike, grab the bars and aggressively whip it from side-to-side. Due to the weight of the front wheel, and everything attached to it, you will definitely notice the "slop" in the front end. BTW, let me go ahead and apologize to any of you that try this and, as a result, become more aware of the importance of the fork brace. That just cost you a few more bucks to take care of .