fidelio67

Hi all,
Well, finally, I got my son interested. I taught him to ride years ago but he outgrew the kids bike without really using it. Can't blame him, really. It's all quite urban round here and the roads can be busy to hostile. But I got myself a cheap hybrid as a pub/nip-out-to-the-shops bike, and he said 'Hey Dad, maybe I could have a go on that' It's a tad on the small side for me at 6' and definitely on the large side for him at 5' 5", but he can straddle it safely and I lowered the saddle, got him some confidence back by noodling about on grass slopes, and a while ago I took him on the old railway cycle path and we covered about 10 miles. And he loved it, which is great and we've been out a few times.
But that bike is way too big, too heavy. I could do with some other advice, and I bet some of you kind people could offer.
I suppose he needs an adult bike with a smallish frame. I mean, he's the same height as Quintana! And money is tight in the Fidelio household. Mrs F will need some persuasion to go up to even £200. My own pride and joy is only a Triban 3 with Mavic Aksiums. He wants a road bike with drop handlebars, and I think that's sensible. So to the questions:
Can I get him anything ridable for £200? I even thought about a halfords apollo fusion, which I'm sure is not a great bike but I just thought that some of the issues about its resilience would be less significant given that it will only be carrying about 100 pounds of rider. Stick my 13 stone on that and ride it for a few hundred km and it would probably fall apart. I just sort of thought that a light rider might get away with it.
Secondly, blimey, how to you teach kids to ride if you live in a city? He's nearly 13 but his handling is like that of a 7-year old. Bristol is blessed with a lot of cycle paths, but there is always the odd stretch of horrible urban carmageddon between A and B.
This post is so much longer than I intended. Apologies!
F