I'm a roadie, and usually average between 19 and 21 mph on my rides. Last year, I bought my wife a Schwinn Sierra GS aluminum comfort bike, in an attempt to get her on the road. It worked. She loved the comfort of the bike, and has been putting in about 60 miles a week this summer.
However, I became really nervous when she signed up to ride an MS150 with me. You see, she'd been averaging about 10 mph, and I didn't know if I could even survive nearly 8 hours in the saddle at that speed. However, I was committed to staying with her, and providing encouragement and support.
I thought about changing her tires to slicks to pick up a little speed, but then decided to go all the way, and get her a Trek 7500 FX hybrid (although I added a suspension seat post). What a difference! The bike weighs 23 lb, has Rolf wheels and Bontrager tires, and she's now averaging nearly 14 mph! A couple more weeks, and she might be kicking my butt!
Anyway, the Trek 7500 FX is a great ride, worthy of your consideration if you're looking for a light, fast hybrid.

Good to see you've had some great success in getting your better-half on a single. I had absolutely zero luck and was out $1,100 in the process. After that failed attempt we tried a tandem.....worked! She loves it and we have many miles under the tandem wheels.

I created a monster though...now I rarely get to ride my single (I do love to ride it too)...and when I do manage to get out on it, I feel guilty that I'm riding and she isn't. Don't get me wrong, I love the tandem too, but I prefer my single for pure riding.

We still have her Cannondale R600 and I can get her out on it occasionally. Thanks to the tandem, she even clips in too. But she says the fit isn't so good on it. So I have to shorten things up on it, in a new attempt to get her on a single.

I feel your pain!
The reason I went with the Schwinn first was because it is as benign a ride as I could imagine. Cushioned stem. Little wheels with fat tires. Suspension post with cushy, sprung seat. I even added REVERSED bar ends to reduce her stretch!
I don't think that she would have stuck with the Trek if I started out with it instead of the Schwinn. But now I'm hoping that after a year on the Trek she'll be ready for a real road bike!
Of course, the best part is that now I find HER reading the Colorado Cyclist and Nashbar catalogues as much as me!

I had been riding a Univega 10 speed when my husband bought me a Terry Symmetry last year which I just love. Since the start of the summer I have put 700 miles on it. I just love it. For him this year I bought him a Giant, not sure if it is a hybrid or Mountain since I really don't know exactly what a hybrid is. Anyway, he just loved it. He had been riding a Nishiki which was about 10 years old. I took him on one of my rides about a month ago and he got hooked. He now wants to go with me all the time. Problem is...I enjoy my rides by myself because with 3 girls, that is about the only time I get time to myself. But last night he said he was going to save up because now he wants a rode bike !!!! I think we have another rider in the family now. Best thing is, after watching me do my Century last month, he said he has a whole new respect for me. And he to is looking at my cycling catalogs just as much as I am.

Mascardr-
We have two young daughters, and my wife (an over-achieving ex-helicopter chief flight nurse) has taken time to be a stay-at-home mom for a while.
So now her school-day routine is like this: she puts her bike on the rack on her van, drives the kids to school (about 9 miles), then cycles home. At the end of the day, she rides her bike back to the school (where her van is waiting), racks it up, then drives the kids home!
That way, she can have some "down time" by herself, and still do the mom thing.

Hey that is a pretty good solution. A good motivator also. I work a full time job so I try to get my rides in right after work during the summer and I get up at 6:00 a.m. on the weekends to get my long rides in. When I get back the kids are usually still trying to wake up. I haven't missed anything and neither have they.
In the winter I ride a fluid trainer. I usaully don't get on it until after 9:00 after the kids go to bed, that is hard sometimes to get motivated. But I figure the little time I get is better than nothing. I'll enjoy the kids now because I will have much more time when they get older to ride. My oldest daughter is a big time fastpitch softball player and I have talked her into riding with me during the winter to stay fit. Some quality time !!!

Gosh, that is great to read stories like this!

My wife has arthritis somethin' fierce! But with a hip replacement a year ago, she is getting much better.

It sounds like she's old, but she's only 42.

Pete,
the reason I started riding about a year and a half ago was because due to a car accident, I had my back fused and could no longer run (which was my big sport). I really needed the physical activity for mental peace. I used to watch all the cyclist ride by my house and I thought maybe that would be something I could do. I was harder than it looked. I could only ride about 15 mins but kept it up to the point where I'm addicted and did a Century last month. Sad thing is... I might have to have another fusion in my back and neck. I will find out soon. But you know what? I can feel like crap but a ride always makes me feel better. And now I have family interest . Pretty cool !!!

Don't underestimate your inspirational influence, Mascardr.

Thanx.

Well done Mike C. Now if I can just find myself a hill-climbing, headwind-chasing fanatic SO...