Hi Ladies,
I'm looking to budget some upgrades for Baloo for next year. I'm hoping to get in 3 races for sure, but mostly just need some extra comfort and can't afford a fs bike.

So, I have a specialized rockhopper. Due to an, umm, unfortunate kiss with the pavement, my left wrist is still not the same and I'm looking to alieve some weight bearing pressure to that thumb pad. So here's what I'm thinking:

suspension seatpost - how do I find out what size mine is? I don't want carbon, thinking steel is better for the rugged conditions here.

new handle bars - I currently have a straight handle bar that's 15 inches long (a little too responsive for me!). I would like a slightly longer bar with a bend to aliviate some of the pressure I referred to above. My lbs cut these down to 15 inches to be by the book on fitting, is there any rhyme or reason on the length of the bars other than shoulder width and preference? I recall some discussion here on degree of bend too and would appreciate any insight there as well. I'd also like to get some female specific ergo hand grips to force my wrist in the right position but can't remember what the brand name is. Anyone know which ones I'm referring to?

Brakes - I want the front brake switched to the right hand to be consistant with my road bike and because of the reduced strength in my left hand. Besides, it just feels right to me!

Tires - I have the standard tires that came with the bike. I know Renee gave me some info on this in a previous post so I'll go dig this up.

I'm looking to spend around $300-400 for upgrades. Is this reasonable? What is the biggest bang for my buck?

TIA!