Quote Originally Posted by snapdragen View Post

eta - norm, take your wife out bike shopping, have her try a number of different bikes. A lot of the ladies here seem to like Specialized bikes. Once you know what she likes, maybe you can find a used one on ebay or craigslist, or find a good deal on last years model.
Good advice. You really can't buy jeans for someone of the opposite sex and expect them to fit well, even if you know their general size....it's even harder with bikes. She really NEEDS to get on the bikes and test them out. Once you find one that she feels fits well (and she has over a year of riding now under her belt, so she'll probably know a bad fit when she feels it) then you can look within that size and brand and model for used or on sale ones.
She really needs to be part of the trying-on process.
Then, there is always the possibilty that she doesn't WANT a new bike. If that's still the case even after discussing it with her, then I'd suggest respecting her wishes. Maybe she'll even surprise you and tell you a year from now about a new bike SHE wants to buy!