I just went through this same thing for my teen daughters. We ended up with the Trek Marlin 4 for one and a Specialized Myka for the other. Was able to get them for about $350 each at the LBS on sale. Just for other options to look at. I didn't want to go the Walmart route because even if they didn't take to it, I wanted them to have something that was still decent for their occasional rides. Good luck and let us know what you end up choosing.