I'm amazed at how bad these roads are. I suppose I shouldn't be, since the news this winter kept running stories about how all the repair shops were chuck full of cars mangled by the pot holes. What has me thinking suspension is those concrete roads where they leave the expansion joints every 20 feet or so. Those expansion joints are now huge holes. The other day, I had my water bottle fly out after hitting one, and had a pannier bag fall completely off the bike twice (and part way off a third time). (I added additional bungees to hold the bags on, which did the trick on yesterday's ride). I end up trying to bunny-hop the worst of them, which is really a pain in the neck.
I've never even test-ridden a bike with suspension, so I have no feel for the difference in efficiency. Perhaps I should stick it out through the spring and see how well the city fixes the roads. (The part of the ride that's on bike paths is smooth as silk, at least the parts that are not under water...)