A few years ago my wife and I got a tandem to ride together. I am a stronger, more experienced rider and the tandem worked well to balance our respective strengths. We started doing some extended touring and really enjoyed that.

Now we are looking into touring with separate bikes. I am thinking that if I carry the full touring load then that additional weight will slow me down enough so that we can ride comfortably together at the same pace. I have a Kona Sutra that I use for solo touring.

Any thoughts on what would be an appropriate bike for my wife? Keep in mind this will not be for racing or even training - it will be for longer touring - 40-80 miles a day for as long as six weeks. Comfort will definitely take precedent over speed.

Thanks for any suggestions!