Bike Forums - Starting to get it (front suspension)

So I first got into mountain biking about 12 years ago, when I bought a bianchi osprey. Loved it, well still like the bike, as I still have it, which we'll see shortly. Anyhow, the first time I rode off-road I thought, wow, if I do that 10 more times, this bike has paid for itself. But I'm getting side tracked. At the time, a couple buddies also rode, so we'd get out somewhat frequently to hit different local trails, some singletrack, etc. I liked the bike, didn't change much, liked the rigid frame, etc.

About 9 years ago I got a dog, and did less & less biking - figuring if I'm going to go outside, take the dog & go hiking rather than go riding and leave her at home. So the riding I've done most recently has been pavement for commuting like purposes; earlier this year I took the aggressive tires off the bianchi to get some low-rolling resistance kendas to make city riding easier.

Then this last weekend comes along. We went up to Cable, WI for the weekend. I brought the bianchi along, as my girlfriend had a work thing Sat morning, so I figured I could get a ride in. I hadn't ridden up there in about 10 years, so put the fat tires back on, having some kind of idea of what i was in for. Which brings me to the whole point of the thread. I don't know if I've aged too much, or what, over the last 10 years. The last time I rode off-road, I wanted to crank on the downhills for the adrenaline rush & to save a little work on the next uphill. Holy crap though, I had a couple moments where I thought I was gonna get tossed into the trees. A foot popped out on one downhill, so I'm trying to steer, stay on the bike and brake a little bit to get things under control. I was trying to remember the "hold on loosely, but don't let go" thing, and had a time of it.

So, in summary, I will henceforth quit making fun of people running front suspension, as I now have seen the light. I'm not saying I'm going to go out and get suspended forks or anything, but I will cease and desist in thinking such people are pansies, or wimps, or anything else derrogatory. I'm still not convinced on rear suspension, mind you, but I definitely can see the point of suspended fronts now more than I could last time around.

Thank you for your interest-
halfbiked