He starts before breakfast, rides all day until I call him in for bathtime & meal. It's a struggle to keep him down for more than a few bites, too! So he wants to ride, and ride bikes with others. I don't know how long he'll keep this up, but since he's not yet interested in anything else much outside, no other sports, I'm gonna go with it. He's riding now, but he's put me up to trying to find someone to help him get "started"... that meaning setting goals toward doing something other than just riding up and down the road, I suppose.

We live on a farm and I'd really like to see him on a cross-country type bike. Is that classified under the "mountain bikes" I've seen posted? I'm still lurking around, so I haven't visited all forums just yet, but I will later this evening after all kiddos go to bed.

We don't even have a helmet yet, so first thing's first. Do I need to look for anything in particular? Besides how he says it feels, what do I need to check when he puts it on? Are the helmets at, say, Wal-Mart or Target really good enough (assuming they have them, I haven't even gotten so far as to check with them yet). I know he'll need shin guards since he's riding in shorts, and he wants biker gloves, but it seems as though his forearms take quite a beating as well when he slides 'cross the ground -- which we dearly hope will become less and less frequent as he gains confidence. My dad bought this bike for him, and it's really too big, but it's all we have for now. He can get off and on without help, but the seat is too high and won't lower any more. And it's some kind of "trick" bike...?? Has pegs on front and back for maybe putting his feet? We will be making do with this until Christmas, and if he keeps this up we will purchase him a nice, REAL (his term) bike.

So, any advice? Tips? Warnings? I'd really like to find out more about the various kinds of bikes and types of riding, so I'll be hanging around a while and listening in. Oh, and I almost forgot, is there a message board or forum for kids & biking so he can talk with others his age?

Thanks for all your help!

mom of "youngbiker"