Bike recommendations for a mature newbie female

[SadieKate]

Marty just picked up her Specialized Dolce Elite(? - the one with the 105 group) today and we went for a little ride in the friendly invisible hills (i.e., winds) of Davis. She pedaled into the headwind pretty fast and then really cranked it up when we turned around and held it at a steady 20. You gotta love tailwinds!

I am so happy for her. She seems just like a kid. I think she really feels that this is the activity that brings her the most joy and that she'll be able to do for a long time. She and Candy have signed up for the 30-mile route at the Tour of Napa Valley which they'll do on their hybrids. Candy will be buying her road bike in the next few weeks when she sees Marty zipping around on her new wheels.

Joe, the owner of the Wheelsworks in Davis, spent an incredible amount of time taking measurements before he ever put her on a bike and then took a great deal of time setting up the one she tried as a demo. That was last week. Today, he went through a detailed fitting session again on the real bike and showed her how to use a CO2 cartride and even put together her tool bag even to the point of putting her tubes in ziplocks with talcum powder. He was really good about putting her on a frame with the proper length top tube but a tall enough headtube to keep her bars at the right height. I was very impressed with his attention to detail and fit for a rider of her fitness and flexibility. The rest of the shop staff were in the team effort also. I can't say enough about their efforts. Marty left the shop just feeling like the red carpet had been rolled out for her. They're even having a basic bike maintenance class in a couple weeks - great timing.

Thanks, everyone, for your advice and words of wisdom. Only time will tell, but I think we got her on the right bike for the purpose. Once she gets better acquainted with the handling and the gearing, I'll bring her to my house with the trainer and get her set up with clipless pedals. Told her she was going to be riding inside for a couple hours that day so enjoy her outdoor riding for right now!