Originally posted by a2psyklnut
What about your wife, has she been fitted?
When my wife was interested in getting a bike, I told her we had to go test ride some different bikes. She just wanted to get any old one! Once we rode several different ones, she realized the importance of doing this. Each manufacturer builds their bikes to what "they" consider are correct porportions for each frame size. This may or may not match your wife's proportions. My wife ended up with a bike about 180 degrees to the bike we first looked for.
L8R
My wife went through a similar process. Originally she wanted to pick a bike based on color. After trying a few different bikes, she realized that wasn't such a flash idea...
I would think that the 16" frame will be very much borderline for your wife, and probably a little bit big for her to get comfortable. Have her try a new 4500 in a bike shop and find out the right size.
The 4500 would be a great bike for recreational riding. The components are nowhere near the best, but they'll be sufficient so long as you don't try to push them too much (and so long as you aren't too heavy!!!
) Personally I wouldn't pay too much over $400 for the combo.