I'm not that hungry....yet. ;)

Hey guys just thought i'd contribute my 2 cents given that I ride every other day road and mountain ;)

For the girl I'd definitely recommend looking into 2 brands that specifically focus on women's design since women's bodies are anatomically different from males :) Specialized and TREK both have WSD (Women Specific Designs) and they have some good road bikes. There are a few other brands out there but I think everyone out there will agree that the best entry level road bike is the Specialized Allez. Trek makes some good WSD bikes too but dealers around where I live price'em a little higher.

As for the mountain...There's a bunch of good MTB bikes out there, but not much for $500 range. I think the best bang for the buck is probably the hardtail Specialized Rockhopper (good frame) or the Norco Charger/Storm.

It really all depends on what you ride...if you ride together, there's no way I'd take that road bike on a trail ride...you'll end up destroying your bike. And if you're S/O rides the road with his MTB you'll blow by him in no time because of your road bike design. You could get a tandem bike :D Those are always fun ;)

I hear most tandem bikes get issued with divorce papers :D

^^ wouldn't know about that lol...

but I will say one thing is that if you're looking at buying a road bike just fork over the extra $$$ for decent components and you'll be set for 10 yrs AT LEAST if you just clean your chain and oil it (that's all!). You might need to get it serviced every 2-3 yrs depending on how much you ride but seriously...if I were a bike salesperson I'd recommend both of you to pick up Specialized Allez Entry level bikes. It is one SOLID bike for the money

Here's a link...http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=21893

Click on bikes > road > Allez and select the Allez Triple for $710 MSRP (You can probably find'em for 500 easy) and if you buy two of'em the bike shop might swing you a deal :)

You could also look at the Dolche which is a specific women's only bike for the same price. Both are decent and you can always upgrade later if need be.

You don't need something like what I ride which is the Roubaix Pro.

But goto the LBS (local bike shop) and take a seat on'em and have them set you up with the proper geometry and see how you like it. Take it for a test ride and voila ;)

If a specialized dealer isn't close to you check out Trek bikes too...I'd recommend Pilot 1.2 WSD for the lady and a 1.2 for the guy. Decent bike but I still prefer an Allez over it (just personal preference).

Just butting in again.

First, don't forget to get a good seat! (I will NOT make a joke about how much fun it is to ride a bike with a just post sticking up, but I do find the right seat "stimulating")

Shop around at the actual bike shops. There are great sales, and I bought my Specialized Woman's Comfort bike for much less than 500!
(about 375, I think)

The web site is, or was a tad too complicated for a neophyte like me, the salesperson was very helpful, (and VERY cute) and she let me take several different bikes out for trial rides until I picked one.

It has all the high end components that I need, and as a moderately obsesive type about clenaing my things, it still looks like like new several hundred miles later, (my typical ride is 22 miles) in a VERY humid, salty climate.

WW

Thanks, everyone! I ended up buying this:
http://www.road-bike.co.uk/bikerevi...edallezbike.php

The Specialized Allez was a good entry level road bike and offered the best reviews and features for the money.

She has ridden like a dream!

Glad you're liking it ;)