mlts22 

I have a 2000 Gary Fisher Joshua F3. Its in mint condition (I bought it new years ago, but have never ridden it far... its been sitting in either a bedroom or storage for all its life), and ridden a total of 30 feet in its lifetime. The story of why its been sitting for this many years unridden is a saga in itself...

Right now, it will remain sitting there until I get enough technique that I don't feel I'll trash it on the first pebble I roll over. I am presently using a low-end Kona for my basic bumbling attempts at riding on and off-road.

What I'm trying to figure out... what (if any) upgrades should I do for the F3? So far, the only thing I've replaced are the pedals with M323s, where it can be ridden clipless or on flats.

Since I was looking for V-brakes for a friend of mine, I'm debating replacing the canti brakes on it [1] with either XTs or SD-7s [2] to ensure the stopping power is up to date [3]. All the components are in new condition, so I'm mainly looking to upgrade items that need it (pedals obviously, brakes for increased stopping power), and not upgrade anything else until stuff wears/breaks.

Thanks again... I learn stuff, then I end up with gaps here and there (mainly what is good/bad componentwise.)

[1]: Most of the drivetrain is Deore LX, but the actual cantis that squeeze the rim appear to be generic.
[2]: XTRs, or SD-Ultimates sound cool, but I'm a very novice rider, and won't notice the difference between XTRs and XTs, or SD-Ultimates versus SD-5s.
[3]: Disc brakes for this bike are possible... but would cost half the original cost of the bike (replacing hubs, fork, adapter for the rear dropouts, levers, etc.), so I rather stick with cantis, and buy a new bike later on.

PS: How outdated is the Y/UART suspension? Is it a major issue when riding XC? A mitigating thing is the rear lockout switch on the handlebars, so it can climb more solidly, but I was warned when I bought the bike that I'd bust the rear shock's oil seals if I hit major bumps on it with the suspension locked out.