Best bang for my buck upgrade

[tward]

I have a 29" Motobecane that is a few months old and I have some upgrade bucks burning a hole in my pocket. What do you all think a $300 bill for a upgrade. I ride in a very diverse set of trails with rocks, roots, lots of drop ins and hard technical climbs. I use platforms and hate SPD pedals. My rig has a front shock and is a hard tail. I realize my request might be a bit obtuse but give it a shot. I highlighted the components I think would be the obvious choices, but I am a newbie.
Thanks
Frame MOTO29X Aluminum with TrailTuned PowerStay Design, DualProfile Downtube with reinforced Gusset, replaceable rear derailleur hanger, water bottle mount
Fork Suntour XC V3 29" 100mm, LongTravel
Crankset TruVativ 5D Aluminum arms, 22/32/44T, (15 ~17:170mm 19~21:175mm)
Bottom Bracket TH sealed cartridge bearing, 68x113mm STaper
Pedals Mountain Platform
Front Derailleur Shimano DEORE KFD-M590M3 Dual Pull , 31.8mm clamp
Rear Derailleur Shimano SLX long cage, for 27 Speed
Shifters Shimano DEOREKSLM590, trigger shift
Cassette/Freewheel Shimano HG50-9 11-32t 9s
Chain KMC Z99, for 27 Speed
Hubs Gravity by Formula Sealed Bearing Disc with Quick Release
Spokes Stainless steel
Rims WTB FX28 Disc Black anodized Aluminum
Tires WTB Nano 29er, 2.1x29
Brakes Auriga Comp Hydraulic Disc Brake 180mm Rotor front and rear
Brake Levers Auriga Comp Hydraulic Disc Brake
Headset CaneCreek Sealed Bearing threadless 1 1/8 in
Handlebar Black Finish Aluminum 6061 T6
Stem Black Finish Aluminum threadless
Tape/Grip WTB DualCompound
Saddle WTB SpeedV
Seat Post Black Finish Aluminum Mountain 27.2mm
Seat Post Clamp Super Light Alloy with Quick Release
Sizes

[Bigred15]

It's hard to recommend upgrading anything when we don't know whats on there now. List the specs of the bike, or at least the specs of what you're considering upgrading so we can help you out.

[rsutton1223]

I have always seen the biggest bang for the buck in suspension and wheels. The smallest return on investment is from high end derailleurs. Do you have a budget you are working with?

[tward]

I have about $300 to spend. I thought about Stans no tubes, new front shock, mine is more for XC, real bouncy, or seat post shock

[eymana]

I'd stay away from the Suntour forks, maybe buy used front forks and have them repacked or send them in to the manufacturer. I did that with a set of Marchozzis and i only paid 75 bucks for them and had them rebuilt by a local bike shop.

I have a 29" Motobecane that is a few months old and I have some upgrade bucks burning a hole in my pocket. What do you all think a $300 bill for a upgrade. I ride in a very diverse set of trails with rocks, roots, lots of drop ins and hard technical climbs. I use platforms and hate SPD pedals. My rig has a front shock and is a hard tail. I realize my request might be a bit obtuse but give it a shot. I highlighted the components I think would be the obvious choices, but I am a newbie.
Thanks
Frame MOTO29X Aluminum with TrailTuned PowerStay Design, DualProfile Downtube with reinforced Gusset, replaceable rear derailleur hanger, water bottle mount
Fork Suntour XC V3 29" 100mm, LongTravel
Crankset TruVativ 5D Aluminum arms, 22/32/44T, (15 ~17:170mm 19~21:175mm)
Bottom Bracket TH sealed cartridge bearing, 68x113mm STaper
Pedals Mountain Platform
Front Derailleur Shimano DEORE KFD-M590M3 Dual Pull , 31.8mm clamp
Rear Derailleur Shimano SLX long cage, for 27 Speed
Shifters Shimano DEOREKSLM590, trigger shift
Cassette/Freewheel Shimano HG50-9 11-32t 9s
Chain KMC Z99, for 27 Speed
Hubs Gravity by Formula Sealed Bearing Disc with Quick Release
Spokes Stainless steel
Rims WTB FX28 Disc Black anodized Aluminum
Tires WTB Nano 29er, 2.1x29
Brakes Auriga Comp Hydraulic Disc Brake 180mm Rotor front and rear
Brake Levers Auriga Comp Hydraulic Disc Brake
Headset CaneCreek Sealed Bearing threadless 1 1/8 in
Handlebar Black Finish Aluminum 6061 T6
Stem Black Finish Aluminum threadless
Tape/Grip WTB DualCompound
Saddle WTB SpeedV
Seat Post Black Finish Aluminum Mountain 27.2mm
Seat Post Clamp Super Light Alloy with Quick Release
Sizes

[Bigred15]

I have always seen the biggest bang for the buck in suspension and wheels. The smallest return on investment is from high end derailleurs. Do you have a budget you are working with?

Quoted for truth.

At 300 dollars, it will be hard to find a set of new Stan's wheels. To get a set of good quality Stan's wheels with good hubs you will need closer to $600 after tax/shipping. See these. Stan's Arch 29er rims with ZTR 3.30 hubs. Excellent quality that won't break the bank, but they go for $540.

If it were me, I would go with a suspension fork first. You have a few options available to you. A Rock Shox Recon can usually be found in the $300 range, like this one. I you are patient, you can sometimes find a used Reba for $400. I got lucky and found a completely rebuilt Fox F29 RL for $415 on ebay last winter. Keep and eye on Craigslist and ebay, there are deal to be had. Just make sure that you get the right steer tube configuration, 1 1/8" non-tapered. If you buy used, make sure that the steer tube in long enough to fit. I couldn't find anything about the length of your headtube, but I would make an educated guess that it's under 5 inches, probably 4.5. If that is the case, a steertube cut to about 7-7.5 should be OK. Another thing to look at is your local bike shop. Sometimes, shops have stuff laying around collecting dust that they want to get rid of. I can't tell you how many times people have ordered things and not come get them no matter how many times you call. The owner or one of the employees may have something they pulled of thier bikes that they never considered selling until someone asked about one. The advantage to going through a shop is two fold. One, you don't have to worry about ordering the wrong part. Two, if you order it through them, most of the time, installation is free.

[@lexD]

Totally agree with the above ditch the suntours and get some rebas or recons this will give a Marked improvement on your existing setup.

[Sadoldsamurai]

Whilst I agree about forks are the best 'upgrade' here in the Uk you wouldn't get much for 300 dollars...
I eventually changed the ancient psylos (I had to buy becuase the original Revelations on the second hand bike I bought were deemed u/s by R/S...) for a set of coil Pikes..which I bought from someone I knew who was also upgrading...coils are a safer bet than air second hand...