For me its actually a safety issue too. My most serious bike wreck was caused when riding a rigid fork bike home at night across an empty parking lot, not really paying attention, looking at something across the street, then hitting an unexpected and steep speed bump. Knocked the bars right out of my hands. Went down hard. Had I had front shocks I probably wouldn't have wrecked.

Also an unexpected feature of this mt bike I'm riding now....

Despite the fact that it is distinctly small, almost too small for me, and with 26" wheels yet, somehow the set of large Ortleib rear panniers I used on my recent tour fit the rear "mountain rack" on this bike far enough back that heel clearance is not a problem. I've brung home large and hefty loads of groceries no problem. Now I'm even thinking of riding THIS bike on my next tour.

BTW it a late 90's Kona Blast, with the Marzocchi fork as an upgrade at the time of purchase.

Mike