My dear sweet son, who ran to the end of the driveway CRYING last summer on more than one occasion because he wanted to ride a road bike with me is still hounding us for a road bike. This kid rarely cries about anything!

I figured that the burning desire to have a bike would pass - he'd get an ipod or a sled or something and forget about a bike. Not.

We may be talking about the next Lance Armstrong here, so I figure that I'd better shell out some cashola and get the kiddo a bike. He also is going to graduate from Webelos to Scouts in a week and soon they will begin to work on their cycling merit badge. He would feel like the cats meow if he had a road bike and all the other kids were on their Huffy's ! I will be the merit badge counselor and will be taking the boys on their rides, which will only make his having a road bike like mom (and soon dad) sweeter.

My problem is that I don't want to spend a fortune on a bike for him - that puberty growth spurt is right around the corner. I looked in the paper, online, at thrift stores, and at two bike shops that carry used bikes several times last summer with no luck. Nothing - Nada - Zip.

Does anyone have a nice road bike that they would sell reasonably that would fit a 5'1ish boy? I would be fine with an old bike, but he wouldn't, so something *fairly* new.

Thanks for any help that you can offer. I don't know if my heart can handle another summer of him running to the end of the driveway after me crying!