We are looking at maybe getting my wife a bike to ride with me and my 8 year old son. It would be riding through some neighborhood paths (concrete) do not anticipate any off road stuff. She has not ridden since she was a little girl - so I am looking for an entry level ladies bike but unsure where to start. Ive got one from WallyWorld that does the job, but after reading these forums it has become apparent to me that if we want something to last we need to go the LBS route. Eventually I will for my bike also - but would like to get some ideas of what I should look for in hers - brand, type, features, etc. Thank you in advance

It is going to depend upon what you want to spend. Likely she will want a comfort or hybrid bike with the main difference being tire size. A hybid is a great choice and with multiple gears, shock absorbers and a comfrotable seat she will probably enjoy riding. Each LBS typically sells certain brands, Trek, Raleigh, Giant, Specialized, all fine brands. What you will find is that as price goes up, so does the quality of the components. The LBS will ensure fit, which really is important. Don't get hung up on the specific components, afterall you didn't choose your car just because of the brand alternator it had. In bikes you generally get what you pay for, and you may even find some bargains as the 05 models are being closed out.

How competent a cycler is she? My wife wanted to ride but never mastered 21 gears and she didn't like hand brakes, so we got her a Electrabike Townie 7, coaster brake and 7 gears, it also has a forward pedaling position allowing full leg extension while also allowing her to put her feet flat on the ground when stopped.
The bike is nicely finished, appears to be a quality bike that should last years, just my 2 cents.

Typical hybrid
http://www2.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/medium/7100_greenparchment.jpghttp://www.cannondale.com/bikes/06/CUSA/spec/6as4mgrn.jpg
suspension fork, shock absorber seatpost, riser bars, triple crank, grip shifters. Since you aren't doing any off-road stuff, the suspension fork is just added weight. The road tires are nice and wide enough for plenty of comfort. My wife doesn't notice any benefit from the shock absorber seatpost on her hybrid either. Upright rider geometry. You must come off the seat to put your feet on the ground. Triple crank with mountain/touring gearing for getting up those hills with ease. Giant's Cypress is a hybrid

Fitness bike
http://www2.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/medium/72fxwsd_black.jpg
Looks similar to a mountain bike but uses thinner road tires for better performance. More upright geometry than most mountain bikes but more aggressive than the hybrid; off the saddle for the feet to touch the ground. Triple crank with mtb. gearing. I'm in the process of converting my wife's hybrid to one of these.

Comfort bike
http://www2.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/medium/navigator200_redcharcoal.jpghttp://www.cannondale.com/bikes/06/CUSA/spec/6ds3org.jpg
This one is basically the hybrid bike with smaller wheels, allowing the feet to touch the ground while still on the saddle. Giant's Sedona is in this class.

http://www2.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/medium/soleride300_mendarksilver.jpg
This one uses the Nexus internal gearing for the rear, a kind of 7 speed automatic.

Cruiser
http://www2.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/medium/calypso_menred.jpg
Retro-looking, gripshifters. Also in singlespeed. Feet easily on the ground while sitting on the saddle. Perfect for cruising down the store or over to the coffee shop.

The wider the tire, the more comfortable they are at the expense of some speed. You do not need a tread on the tire, smooth tires give you the best traction(think dragsters, Nascar). My wife has the Trek 7100 hybrid, I wish now I'd bought her the fitness bike but she does love the upright geometry so I'm swapping out her suspension fork for a carbon one and getting her some better wheels and tires.

The Giant Suede offers a variety of feature levels, decent styling and the ability to put ones feet on the ground easily.

It will all depend upon what kind of riding the two of you are currently doing and what kind of riding that your wife will be doing. If you plan that all of you will be going on 20 mile rides at least sometime down the road even if you start off shorter, then I would definatly suggest the hybrids with the 700c wheels. That way you will keep the bike weight down a little and make it easier to ride. If you want to go to a nice one then get one with a carbon fork which will run you around $600-700. OTherwise you can go back down in components and frame and keep the price down as low as $300-400. Performance and Bikes Direct have a good selection of these bikes, specififcally the Fuji bikes.

If you are just looking at going a couple of miles then you can keep what you have or go with a fun beach cruiser. With the beach cruiser you can get her a flowing short skirt and pretend she is that girl in that tv commercial.

First off thank you for the replies. To address some of these questions:
1) her riding will be probably more in the cruising around the neighborhood or on local paths - I am almost positive she would not be doing any mountain biking or anything off of a paved path. That being said maybe I could get there one day but I dont think it will be soon

2) Being that she hasnt ridden since she was younger, I want to make sure the bike is comfortable enough and enjoyable enough for her to want to keep doing it, but I do not want to break the bank either just in case she does not do it that often. I would say $250-$300 max.

Let me know if this helps with your suggestions and thanks again!

Get her a Trek 3000 series bike and throw some semi slicks on it.

Cheap, sturdy and trail worthy for around 300 bucks.

I recommend something very comfortable, like the Trek Navigator or the Diamondback Wildwood. Both very affordable.

Something like this is $350.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/motobecane_elite.htm
Performance Bike also has many of these bikes at their shop and some of them online. They have many that would work from $200 to $300.

Again my sugggestion would be 700c wheels so that it is easier for her to ride. I would think that a suspension seat post would be helpfull as well but I have never used one before.

I recently purchased a Trek Navigator 50 for my father-in-law to ride when they visit from WA.........he said it was extremely comfortable. We rode almost 500 miles in little over 2 weeks. It has 26" wheels, mountain type geometry without suspension fork. I paid $168.00 at Scheels All Sports including bottle cage and frame mounted tire pump.