Originally Posted by
Skipjacks
100% of your riding was on surfaces that had no use for suspension.
Cut across a bumpy field sometime and the suspension fork has value, even a cheap one.
Hop off curbs, hit a pothole, ride a rough poorly maintained paved surface, cross bumpy maintained hard packed dirt fields, etc etc and the cheap suspension fork has value.
Ride clean pavement and maintained rail trails and it's doing nothing for you.
I find that when I ride rough pavement for more than a few miles, my hands and arms feel better with a suspension fork than without it. Some people like the natural flexibility in a rigid fork and prefer to 'feel the road' through the handlebars and that's cool, but I don't find it's enough to smooth my ride out to my liking.
It call comes down to this though...
If you like it, you're right! If you hate it, you're right!
I wouldn't say 100% was, I regularly take a 5 mile path to the recplex that weaves through several neighborhoods. It's not maintained at all. Roots everywhere, sections of large gravel to just plain rocks. Does it help on those sections? Absolutely, but I could get by without it for that portion of my ride, in exchange for the benefits of not having one in the areas that it does absolutely nothing for me.
I do agree with you though. If OP just likes it then it's fine. I'm just sharing because in the end I regretted my purchase. The money spend on the suspension, as little as that may have been, could have gone to other components on the bike. OP might not feel the same way and that's okay. But at least he is getting some differing opinions.
Ultimately, I'd say go test ride at an LBS. Yes they want to sell you something but they want you to like what you are buying so you come back every week to drop more cash on lights, then on pedals, on shoes, helmet, bike computer, trunk rack, saddle bags, new wheels etc... and eventually a new bike when you are ready to upgrade.