Originally Posted by
BenLi
First things first. If you want to "expand your horizons", you should look for other bikes than Treks. There's a lot out there, and theres a lot of complaints about Treks. Companies like Specialized (Stumpy FSR), Santa Cruz (Blur), Gary Fisher, all have Full-suspension XC offerings.
For forks, you want something from Rockshox or Fox. The F100 is an awesome fork. Rockshox's offerings are supposed to be decent too. Any MTB should be able to take 1-2 foot drops.
For disc brakes, you want something from Avid, Formula, Magura, etc. I've heard good things about Hayes higher level stuff but there are lots of complaints about their lower line.
If you're talking about bb clearance, that varies in the frame.
Just to add a couple more contenders to benli's list-
Fork- Marzocchi, Manitou(higher end), Magura
Bike frames- Transition, Titus, Yeti, Kona, Turner and Giant.
Disc brakes-Hope
Since you made easy money, I'd get good equipment, you could always sell it down the line for better price or upgrades. Good luck and keep us posted on which bike you pick.