Prophet Upgrade Project: Phase 1

I've had my Cannondale Prophet for over five years, and I've really enjoyed riding it.  That said, I was looking to improve the climbing capability on the bike by changing the rear shock with one that would "lock out".  The original shock, a Manitou, didn't include a lock out feature, and it's something I missed on the Prophet.  A previous bike of mine had front and rear lock out on the shocks, and I really liked being able to make the full suspension bike into a fully rigid bike on the road and on long climbs.  I really enjoyed the feature on that bike (a 2001 Cannondale Jekyll), and as such, I was ready to improve the capability of my  new(er) mountain bike.

I looked at the available rear suspension shocks on the market, and determined that the Fox Float RL would fit the bill, in that it features a lock out, rebound adjustment, and is reasonably priced.  I determined that the Prophet frame required a rear shock to be 7.875 inches long and have 2.0 inches of stroke.  Fox's Float RL came in this variety, so I ordered it online.

Fox Float RL

When the shock arrived in the mail, I was "shocked" to find that the original shock brackets (called shock reducers) didn't fit my new shock.  Searching online, I found that Cambria bike had them available, so I ordered them online.  When they arrived in the mail, I was able to install the new shock!

Needless to say, I've enjoyed the new shock, with a recent ride on Monte Matese allowing me to lock out the rear shock, effectively making my full suspension bike a hard tail to more efficiently climb the 4265 foot ascent.

Next on the list for the upgrade:

• New wheels: My wheels are in pretty bad shape after 5+ years of use and abuse.  They are overdue for a rebuild.  Do I get all new wheels or just rebuild on the existing hubs?  If I get new wheels, I'm thinking about the Mavic Crossmax ST's.  Clearly, rebuilding on the existing hubs would provide a great ride at a fraction of the price of the Mavics.  ...and I'd also not have white hubs (that will look horrible if I don't keep them spotlessly clean).  As you can tell, I'm leaning toward the rebuild option.  
• Fork Rehabilitation: my Cannondale Lefty TPC Max is in dire need of some serious maintenance after 3 serious years of use and abuse in Italy and Europe.  These forks work great, but are very difficult to work on if you don't know what you're doing.  Clearly I don't.  :)  Luckily, there's a bike shop back in the states that specializes in fixing and upgrading Lefties.  So, I'm thinking about shipping my fork off to Mendon Cyclesmith for a complete rebuild and upgrade.  I'm thinking about getting the "guts" upgraded to PBR, essentially converting my front shock from spring to air spring, and providing a lock out capability.