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I can tell you that Clements2 is right, those are great bikes to start out with. My bike shop was a Specialized dealer, so their equivilant to that was the Sirus. A good entry level bike that will give her the speed that she is looking for (to a point). Not the greatest equipment, but it is also not going to break the bank. Some models come with a shock on the seat for a little extra comfort. It should be noted though that I had a few come back a few weeks later wanting to return the Sirus for a higher end road bike. It can get addicting and expensive.

They have road bike thin wheels and tires, some come with carbon forks and seat stays. The main difference between these bikes and bonified road bikes is the handlebars. The advantage to them is you get the comfort bike feel from the handle bars with a more upright feel and trigger shifters that can be a little more user friendly. You can have drop down handle bars put on this bike, but it would be more cost effective to just sell the FX and put that money toward a new road bike if you are going to upgrade. my neighbor has an FX and put areo bars on them to get into a more aggressive position. Granted, he is in better shape than me, but he can keep up with me, and I have a Specialized Roubix Comp. We usually average about 19 miles per hour on a 10- 15 mile bike ride.

The biggest thing is fit. You should have her test ride a few bikes, including the higher end ones to see the difference. If she gets a bike that is to big for her, she is going to be miserable after riding for about an hour or so.

You are dead on with your advice. The Specialized Sirrus is a good option as well -- same vein as the Trex FX series.

Also, when the wife doesn't need the bike Trek FX for a tiathlon, I just put fatter tires on it for more comfy riding on the trails.

I was shocked when the bike shop hired me.

I bought my wife this last Christmas -- the Trek FX series (got her the 7.3 model). It's basically a road bike only with relaxed geometry and straight bars. My wife wanted to try triathlons, but yet be able to tote around on the trails. It's built solid and is everything you'd need for getting her feet wet with triathlons. For triathlons, you might add some clipless pedals. If she wants to get more serious about triathlons later on, look for a road bike specifically. The Trek FX will run ya about $400-500.

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No way she's going to want to train on, and ride, a hybrid for a triathalon. She'll curse you the entire time, and I wouldn't blame her.

Just go out to craigslist and look for a used hybrid / trail bike. You'll probably be able to find something for under $200. Spend a little more dough on her exercise bike. It will pay dividends for both of you.

If she's just getting into the sport and not sure if she'll stay with it, there's no need to drop a load on a pure road bike (decent ones will run you $1,000). Get a Trek FX fitness bike and it would suffice to get her feet wet and serve as a trail bike. Then if she wants to go balls out, break down and get the pure road bike and the fitness bike can serve as a great trail bike.

I have a hybrid - great for riding to the gym with my daughter - bad for weekend morning rides more than 10 miles. They just aren't fast enough.

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I'd like to thank Hammer for destroying my thread.

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Tell your wife if she rates, I'll let her accompany me, TheIrishHammer, on my next bike-a-thon.

I hope that qualifies as advice.

I hope that qualifies as contributing to your trip to Japan.

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Was there a question in there somewhere?

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