beginner question/gt avalanche 3.0

about a year ago, i decided to get into biking. not having a lot of money to spend, i went to the bike shop, and they directed me to the gt avalanche 3.0. the woman said that it was a decent bike for the money, but most importantly, all the parts were upgradeable, if i decided to keep going with it. i read some online reviews, and everyone complains about the fork and brakes. for the most part i agreed with the brakes. theyre just not good. the fork seemed smooth, until i put some miles and harder rides on it. now it feels "sticky." i know that a shock is supposed to be smooth and provide dampened rebound, not just compression on the initial impact. the way it is sticky doesnt seem to aid in the rebound respect. i rode a friends bike and it was smoother. is there a fix to this or just do what everyone says and replace the fork. forks are friggin expensive.
on to the brakes, rei sells avid bb7 replacement, any good? just want to do the rear for now

overall im happy with the bike, and really enjoying mountain biking, just certain things bother me. thanks for any input

What did you pay for the bike? Replacing the fork and brakes will be expensive and may not be worth it.

I wouldn't put any effort into trying to fix the current fork. If you want to keep the bike versus getting a new one I'd be looking for deals on a lower end fork. Even something like a RockShox Dart would be an improvement over what you have now. I wouldn't put a higher end fork on there unless you got a ridiculously good deal on one.

Avid BB7s are largely regarded as the best cable actuated disc brakes around. I don't think you can go wrong there.

In the long run money usually goes further buying a new bike that's already spec'd out how you like, it's just more money right up front.

MR. evil said:

What did you pay for the bike? Replacing the fork and brakes will be expensive and may not be worth it.

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$380.00

I dont think a new bike is in the cards, got other "more important" purchases. Need a season pass, new boots and possibly a splitboard if i can. i thought maybe i could fix the parts i didnt like and leave it alone until i can get something higher end, way down the road. I guess what is the price point of a decent fork, dont need great, that is a significant upgrade, but not "best of the best." i hate hobbies

A new low end fork and BB7's is going to cost almost as much as you paid for your bike. Your looking at about $150 or more just for the BB7's. It makes more sense to look for deals on used parts or save that money towards a new ride.

Fwiw - I have some used Avid Juicy 5 hydraulic brakes and a RockShox Dart 2 or 3 fork you could have cheap. You will need to add a new heavier spring to the fork as it came off my wife's bike. The fork has about 10 miles on it max. I took it off her bike and replaced it with one of my older high end forks with 2 weeks of her getting the bike. If your interested I will measure the fork steerer to see if it's long enough for your bike.

kinda strange, took the bike out this morning, on a significantly shorter ride. around 7 miles versus 18 and about 20 degrees cooler. the shock performed much better, less sticky and felt smoother. would heat cause the shock to perform differently? its not extreme temps, 75 the other day, 55 this morning.
the only other thing i can figure is the bike peruses these forums, and it decided to get the front together. brakes still suck. prices on the hydraulic brakes?