need parts advice
 

For the last 8-9 years i have been riding on a cannondale m300. the frame recently cracked in one of the seat stays and they warrantied it. I now have a new Bad Boy frame. Since the parts on my old bike were all stock except for wheels and the size of the headtube has changed i decided that now would be a good time to learn how to build a bike and upgrade some of the parts at the same time. I only have about $350 available (full time student) and would appreciate some advice for good cheaper parts mainly in 3 categories:

1)wheels-this is where i want to spend the most money. are shimano wh-m540's any good, was thinking a used pair.

2)fork/headset-i'm leaning towards rigid for price reasons

3)v brakes

thank you
kylar

If money is really tight just buy a headset adaptor and continue running your old forks in the new frame.

You can get a brand new set of wheels for about $80 on-line. If you bike is a 7-speed, you will need a small spacer for your cassette. The ones you listed are....well....inexpensive. Find some with a Deore level (or better hub) and either Mavic, Sun, or Alex rims. (Wienmann are so-so for budget wheels)

I also saw some a great deal on an inexpensive low end Manitou Suspension fork at Nashbar. It was under their "returned Merchandise" section (find it on the left side of the home page). It was about $50 or $60.

The headset? Hmmm, does the new frame have an 1-1/8 headtube, or is it the 1.5" standard Cannondale one?
If the big one (size of a beer can) you'll need a special set of reducer cups available from your Cannondale dealer. (maybe eBay)!

Brakes, you can get a complete set of vee brakes LX level for $70.

Just do some shopping around, but you can definately do what you want for your budget if you're patient and shop around a bit.

L8R

Pretty much what a2psyklnut said. If you shop around you can find some pretty good deals and make your money work for you. This first thing I would upgrade is your wheel set. You can get some damn good deals on wheel sets at www.jensonusa.com or some of the others. Don't be too cheap here though; I would look to spend at leaset $150, doing this will give you more bang for the buck. You can get a fork for about $100 too. For a lot of stuff maybe even a fork you should try e-bay. Good luck and RIDE ON!!

Can I use a disc wheellset without running disc brakes?

Not if it is disc specific. There will be nothing for your V-brakes to grab on to. I would recommend getting a wheel set with disc hubs that allow for both V and disc brakes. Something like: http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product.aspx?i=WH707A23

You can IF it is specifically rim brake compatible. Some disc wheelsets are rim brake compatible but many are not. Just ask before you buy. I assume you're thinking about upgrading to disc brakes in the future?