>>1994804those aren't really mtb knobbies they're hybrid shitter tires.
Perfectly appropriate for the bike like sure he could upgrade but nice tires would be worth more than the bike.
>>1994783Extremely low end full suspension bikes are the absolute worst because the suspension only serves to bounce you up and down as you pedal which wastes a lot of energy, and it adds weight and something to fail.
It's not even fucking up because it's old, that kind of bike fucks up when it's NEW because they tend to be extremely poorly assembled at the factory and at the shop.
In terms of fixing your brakes even the absolute worst v brakes can be made to work reasonably well. Take them completely apart, clean, and lightly lube them. You want a thin film of grease on the posts that they pivot around, the threads of all the bolts, and the mating surfaces (the concave washers) of the brake pads (makes them much easier to adjust).
The cables are probably adding a lot of friction. Don't pull the inner fully out as you won't get the end that's been clamped back through, so you'd need to recable. What you do is drip some lubricant onto the inners at the ends of the housing and try to slide it around to work it in.
They're pretty basic mechanically so you should be able to overhaul them without instructions, just do one arm at a time, and one set of brakes at a time, so you always have several references to look at how they go back together.
You want to clean stuff with a bucket of hot water and dish soap, and kerosene for stuff that doesn't remove. Rags and tooth brushes.
Run your brake pads along a sandpaper block or file to reveal some fresh rubber.
Clean your rims with isopropyl alcohol.
In terms of upgrading or customizing I would get some nicer pedals and a better seat. You can put those on your next good bike.
Servicing your hubs will also make the bike much nicer to ride as they will almost certainly be too tight and dry.
