Wow! Thanks for all the very helpful info, ladies. This gives me a lot to think about. And the list of useful equipment is great, Torrilin. Thanks! I knew about the helmet and gloves, but I'm not sure the rest of it would have occurred to me. I particularly like the headlight/tailight and mirror idea.

As for bike types, does anyone ride Trek? They seem to have the smallest bikes I've been able to find online. I was vaguely looking at their low-end fitness bike--the 7.2 FX WSD--and their hybrids--the 7200 WSD. The standover height with the 7200 would definitely not be an issue with the low curve.

And I really do like the Globe. I keep going back to the website to look at it Can anyone clarify what the standover specs mean? Specialized's website says the standover for the smallest Globe is 687 mm... but my inseam is 685.8 mm. This may be a really stupid question, but is the standover measurement what I need to clear the top crossbar?

Okay, I think I'm hitting the bike shops this weekend. Wish me luck!