Mountain Biking - smart upgrades

what would be the smartest thing to upgrade on a GF marlin.
fork, breaks, rims (I beat em up)???
nothings broken, but breaks arnt working as good, rims are a little beat, and fork is not as nice as others iv ridden.

Wheels are #1 in my book. Sun Rhynolite's laced to XT's would be a good combo for you.

Then do the fork (Rock Shox Psylo, Manitou Black Elite are the ones I would recomend).

Finally the brakes. XTR V's are really really nice. But Avid SD brakes are great. Avid Mechanical Disc's are also awesome, and I would highly recomend them.

the wheel i dont think would be bad enough to need replacing, so ill go for the fork thanks.

well, if you are looking to shave pounds, new wheels will make the most difference in the feel of your ride.

Encrypted why did you ask us what we think? It seems that you just wanted us to say fork.

I was just wondering. my friends all have vt2 or nrs 2 and they feel great. i dont think i can put disc breaks on my bike, and everyone tells me fork. is a $400 fork goood on a $420 bike?

A $400 fork is good on ANY bike. Does it make sense? Sure, if you're happy with your bike otherwise.

However, realize that a $400 fork on a $420 bike will only increase the value of the $420 bike by only like $50.00.

It may or may not make more sense to ride you bike as it is, and save another $1,000, and then get a bike with the forks you want AND disc brakes AND full suspension. For $1,400 these days, you can buy a LOT of bike!

If you only have the $400 to spend, get the fork! It'll drastically change the way your bike rides (usually for the better).

L8R

I am looking at buying a new fork and have a cheap bike, but the way I see it is that it is one less part I will need to buy if I want a new bike. Instead of a whole new bike I can just get a frame. I will continue to upgrade my bike now and just swap those parts on to a new bike if and when i get one. So anyone who is buying a expensive fork for a cheap bike I think it is a smart move.

just upgrade whatever breaks first. if your brakes aren't working good do that first. Get a couple nice new Koolstop brake pads!

my v-breaks all of a sudden suck. I cleaned rims and pads still are bad.

If you can upgrade to discs, get them. Avid mech's are perfect for most riding.

I've been on Hayes Hydro's for almost 2 years now, and I have yet to have a single problem.

I have a 2002 Jamis cross country sx. I do a lot of jumps and tricks so I was wondering if I should save up for a whole new freeride bike or upgrade my current 1??