Front Suspension, needed when not on a mountain?

[Shaitan00]

When I was young I was a big mountain biker, had my trusty 1996 Giant Yukon (still do) with no suspension and I was king of the mountain.

Years later I am looking to get back into biking, mostly for traveling (to-and-from work, etc...) on roads, maybe a little bit of
dirt and stuff on weekends and with the kids, but nothing extreme - so I think "Hybrid" probably the way to go right ...

Looking to buy a new bike and noticed that a lot of the "hybrid" bikes in the lower price range now come with front suspension, and it got me wondering ... really?

First, why would a hybrid need front suspension?
Second, is the ~$300 CDN bike front suspension even worth it?

From what I can see I can get a COSTCO Infinity ($300 CDN) that has front suspension or an LBS bike (~$450) without - so whats the deal? Does COSTCO know something LBS don't?

 

[urge2kill]

I think I've read that it prevents hand numbess by absorbing the vibration. I think that's also why they have shock-absorbing seat posts.

I might also recall that it affects speed by allowing less deflection from bumps, but I'm very uncertain.

 

[maydog]

The stores are selling a look - the front suspensions are not all that good and are heavy. People want them so the bikes are built with them.

I suppose they may have a place for folks wanting a super plush ride.

 

[Ocelote]

I think that most people think they are not necessary and actually rob you of some of the pedaling effort, especially while climbing. I have a mountain bike that I use for commuting and it has a suspension. It took me years to figure out that I had been riding it with the suspension locked, and to me it was so comfortable. I unlocked it and can hardly feel the difference. The tires are so fat that they probably absorb most of the bumps Some days ago I bought a bike and I was torn between two models. The basic model (shift 1) had only 7 speeds but no suspension. The other, more expensive model (shift 2) had 21 speeds but non locking suspension. I tried both, back to back on the same place and didn't feel a difference. But I really didn't want the suspension. I ended up buying the Shift 2 and will eventually "downgrade" to a non suspension fork.

 

[mickey123]

the full suspension is ok ?