Let The Search Begin!

My wife is wanting to start cycling so we have been shopping around for bikes for her. She is tired of being left out since almost all of our friends ride. We are looking for a women specific design. I'm trying to get her on the most comfortable bike we can find. We started looking last weekend and checked out a Specialized Dolce and Sequoia. She like both bikes but did like the upright riding position of the Sequoia even though it was not a women bike. A friend of ours is wanting to sell her bike, a Cannondale R1000, and she let us borrow it for a while to see if it worked. We picked it up a couple days ago but wife hasn't really ridden it yet. I'm wanting to have her try out a Felt FW40 which is an entry level women's road bike. So if we have time this weekend we may go look at one.

I am also looking for a cyclocross bike. Not for competition but for trail riding. We live near a rail trail that is crushed limestone. I really enjoy riding on it, but not on my MTB. So that is why I want to look at a cross bike. The drop handle bars will give me multiple hand positions and allow me to ride longer. One of my goals this year is to ride to the end of the trail and back. The trail is 62.5 miles long, exactly a metric century. I would not be able to do that on my MTB. I love my MTB but not for long distances. So I'm not looking for a high end CX bike, but one that is capable of doing what I intend to use it for. I really wanted the Kona Jake the Snake, but I can't find one anywhere. I wanted the 2007 model because of the color, but they are sold out. So I have begun to look at other manufacturers like the Specialized Tricross Sport Triple, Jamis Nova Pro, and the Felt F1X. I really like the versatility of the Specialized because it has a triple crank. All others have a double crank. So I need to ride them to see which one feels the best and talk to the LBS to get their opinion. I know some people or real advocates of their LBS but I have not had much luck with mine. I get people who are just working a part time job that don't really seem to know what they are talking about. That is why I try to research all I can about a bike before I step into a bike shop. So if I have an idiot helping me I can make an educated decision based on what I know. Test riding a bike in winter is a whole other issue I won't get into. So more to come on the new bikes situation. I'd like to have one by March for sure, but know I can't wait that long.