Hey, those are great ideas alimey, thanks! I don't know if my stem can be swapped for upside-down, but I should check that. I could easily replace it if not, and for not a huge amount of $$.

The bars I'm not quite ready to change as they are nice carbon Monkey-Lites, and I have already put a lot of $$ into this bike, but that's something I could do someday if I get more serious about mountain biking. Right now it's a very casual thing for me, and I suck at it since I don't get to do it often enough to improve much. I am hoping that next spring/summer when I can ride more I'll make better progress.

Thanks again!
Emily