My opinion?sittingbison wrote:just a thought after skipping through the thread, but is it worthwhile having front shockies for long distance, especially if the tarmac is a bit bumpy?
No.
Suspension is nice, but sealed/gravel road riding is rarely rough enough to warrant it. And I have toured on some pretty rough fire-trails in the high country with rigid forks on my MTB. Sufficient to say that front shocks are of very limited effectiveness when carrying front panniers, by far the most balanced way to pack your gear on a bike. Suspension just makes it much more awkward to fit a front rack.