People have different kinds of commutes and different preferences. There's not really a right and wrong however it's possible you are over inflating your tires and that's why the ride was harsher than you liked without the suspension.

A lot of people think max PSI means max speed but that's not really the case. The optimum PSI depends on the size of the tire and the load on that tire. The more weight, the more PSI. The less weight, the lower the optimum PSI. Often times you want less air in the front tire than in the rear, - especially if you are carrying stuff on a rack.