I ride a Raleigh Sojourn with 35x700 tires, and have also put a lot of miles on a cruiser bike with 26x2.125 tires. The narrower tires do have a harsher ride, but it's not as much different as you might expect. One reason is that the bigger tires aren't as harsh, but they're also bouncier, so you have less of a bump when you hit a bump, but then also bounce three more times from it, too. Also, to a certain extent, you tend to compensate for a rougher-riding bike by choosing smoother roads, dodging potholes better, etc. Anyway, if it's a concern, I'd go for the bike with the smoother fork, but wouldn't avoid the road bike due to that factor.