Thanks for all of the feedback folks!

"Trek owns Gary Fisher so they are infact from the same company"

I had no idea! Good thing to know. She'll definitely be trying out a couple of them at least. The roads out here in VT are okay for the most part..though there are some nasty ones, and theres always the uneven cement slab sidewalks. The only argument I've heard against suspension was from a fellow commuter who first mentioned to me that as much as they help with the bumps, they can also take away some of your momentum if you're having to pump the pedals.

Aaanyway, she'll definitely try them all out. This shop has a good policy for "Fitting you right", so I'm confident they can help her find something she's comfortable and confident on. Actually, she hasn't ridden in years, but comes from a background of 20 mile rides with her father. I'll be curious to see how quickly and naturally it comes to her. Shimano EZ-Fire shifters might throw her off at first. ^_^