DarcyInOregon, thank you for the suggestion, but neither of us are interested in a Tandem. Two years ago, he outgrew his FMF BMX mini race bike. He has wanted something fast & lightweight with skinny tires & gears ever since.

Crankin, I’m certainly concerned about the ability of a road bike to handle the regular rough & tumble of everyday street riding of a young rider, which is one of the reasons we initially considered a cyclocross bike. But our LBS said the cyclocross is really not much sturdier than a road bike.

Do you think the Vita hybrid is a fragile bike to be treated with kid gloves, or a solid bike that will stand up to most of the usual use younger kids can dish out? He only weighs 70 lbs. Although he said he understands that a road bike cannot handle tricks as well as his bmx & mountain bikes, I anticipate he’ll be jumping some curbs. Structurally, do you think a step thru hybrid will be OK?

Thanks.