Originally Posted by
SouthFLpix
It's disappointing that you felt 'shamed' into spending more than you wanted to. Certain things like suspension forks or department store bikes certainly tend to be 'taboo' here, and often times without good reason. Sometimes you get the impression that commutes are just another word for time trials, where every little bit of weight savings, aerodynamics, and power delivery make a huge difference. The reality is, there is not much difference in arriving to work at 8:45 or 8:48 am.
I disagree about the suspension fork part here: If you are committed to spending a certain dollar amount and are between two bikes at the same cost and one has a suspension fork and the other doesn't, it can be a good assumption that the bike with the rigid fork is specced slightly better to make up for the savings of a suspension fork*
That's my reasoning, anyhow - that and the quality of suspension on a $500 bike isn't going to be super....and if I am spending hundreds, I expect super.
*unless we are talking carbon forks - then the price is probably very similar.