As an update, I took a cue from this blog post: http://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2010/...-get-bike.html and put the search of a new bike totally in my fiancee's hands. We went around to 4 local bike shops, and in the end, she got a new fire engine red Schwinn Voyageur 21 for $300 and couldn't be happier. I'm glad I didn't just hand off my ride to her, as I think it would've been a lost opportunity for her to get into the hobby on her own terms.