Road Cycling - Buying my girlfriend a bike?

I'd like to start out by saying that this is a great forum, I can't believe I didn't find this sooner . I look forward to learing from you guys and hope to contribute when possible. Thank you. Now for my question.

My girlfriend wants to start riding with me and we are looking into a good bike for her to start out on. What is the opinion on the Fuji Finest. We were also thinking on the Fuji Newest. Any other opinions. She is looking at the $500-800 range.

My wife just bought a Trek 7500FX and she loves it. $650.00. It is a fitness bike that looks like it would do ok on trails but it really is best for the road (mostly because of the wheels). It does have a flat bar though with rapid fire off road type shifters. If she wants drop bars, we looked at the Giant OCR3. Looks pretty good in that price range to. Sorry, I don't know much first hand about the Fuji's. But I read good things about them.
Russell.

Fuji bikes are fine. If you're looking for value, also look into Jamis. Jamis bikes in this price range have cro-moly (steel alloy) frames, and in my experience they offer a less harsh ride than the Fujis.

Foremost consideration is fit. Nothing puts a new rider off the sport like a bike that hurts to ride, and most of the causes of pain in riding are related to fit. Women tend to be proportioned somewhat differently from men, and it often takes the experience of a good bike shop to achieve proper fit.

Selecting the shop can be a more important decision than the specific bike.

In Philadelphia, Trophy Bikes and Bicycle Therapy in Center City are good. A nationally-famous roadie shop that specializes in fit (and sells Bianchis) is Cycles Bikyle in Bryn Mawr. And I've heard good things about Jay's Pedal Power on Girard Ave, but I've never been there.

The Performance Bikes shop in Paoli is, amazingly, very good, and one of my favorites. They carry Jamis road bikes, and are currently running a sale on road bikes.

IMO, when selecting a road bike the mistake most people make is not understanding what they want to do with it. For the sort of recreational and training rides club riders usually do, the standard racing-style road bikes are fine, of course; that's what they're designed for. They take their main design elements from racing bikes, perhaps toning down the most extreme performance enhancements to make them ridable by ordinary mortals.

But then somebody wants to do a loaded tour, or start commuting or doing utility riding in inclement weather, and these bikes reveal their limitations: lack of clearance for fenders or wider tires; lack of mounting points for racks; inability to carry panniers; gearing that's too high to get up hills when loaded with gear.

If these kinds of applications are possibilities, Fuji makes the Touring Series, Bianchi offers the Volpe, and REI sells the Novara Randonee... all touring bikes in your price range that can commute or tour but also, stripped down, are well-suited for group rides and even centuries.

Anyway, just some thoughts. Good luck with your search. It's great to have somebody to ride with.

RichC

Oh, one other thing: spring for the Tiagra-level bikes if you can. The Sora bikes tend to have a lot of compromises that IMO make them less worth the money. The Sora gruppo limits the upgrade path... which isn't that big a problem, because it tends to be found on bikes that probably aren't worth upgrading anyway. But bumping up a couple of hundred bucks to Tiagra (or 105, if possible, which is the real "sweet spot" in Shimano's road component line) usually brings with it comparable upgrades in other components that make the whole bike a better value.

Unfortunately, the less well outfitted bikes often tend to be the ones designed to be all around more useful. As you move up the like you get better components, but you also get more race-like geometry and fewer amenities like rack and fender mounts. That's why it's so important to have a clear idea of what kinds of riding you expect to be doing.

RichC

Hey guys. Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it. :)
I've been to bicycle therapy. It seemed like a pretty knowledgeable place. Funny you should mention the Performance Bikes shop in Paoli . I've been by there numerous times but have never stopped in. I'll have to give it a try. My girlfriend goes to college right by there, Immaculata. We are going to go check out bikes wednesday.
Thanks again.