Mountain Bike with your kid!? Yes, Please!
With much anticipation, our Shotgun kids bike seat arrived just in time for Penelope’s second birthday! Designed for children ages 2-5 years old and adjustable to fit any mountain bike the Kids Ride Shotgun seat was something we looked forward to trying since hearing about it on social media.
First Impressions: Love It!
The Kids Ride Shotgun did not disappoint! Not only has Penelope loved it, but it has been easy to install on all 3 of our mountian bikes. We have tested it out on my carbon fiber Juliana Furtado, my husband’s wideangle steel frame Chromag and his aluminum Treck Marlin. With a few adjustments for the width of the bike frames, the seat fits snuggly on each bike and does not interfere with the ride ability.
Inside the Box
The bike seat consists of two swing arms that clamp the seat to your bike, the seat, and two foot pegs with straps and a bolt holding them together. Also included in the box are the necessary tools to adjust and fit the Shotgun seat to your bike.
Instillation is simple and the instruction guide and 2 minute fitting video make adjusting the seat fast and easy. The only difficulty I ran into was loosening the bolt between the swing arms (I might just be wimpy! LOL!) However, after putting the swing arms over something like the back of a chair (or keeping it on the bike) to give myself more leverage, I was able to loosen the bolt and the rest of instillation was a breeze!
Off and Riding: Will the Kid Stay Put?
Yes!
While we were gung-ho from the start, we did get some skepticism about Penelope not being strapped in and wether or not she would be able to stay on the bike. She hasn’t mastered riding her strider bike, and we did worry about her strength to balance and hang on. But, after just a few practice laps around the yard, it seemed she intuitively knew what to do.
On her first ride she was able to enjoy a quick ride through the neighborhood and even a little trail section too!
Since then, she has been squealing with joy every time the bikes come out! And even tries to climb onto the bike herself! Yikes!
Do We Recommend the Shotgun Seat?
Yes!
The Shotgun seat is absolutely perfect for anyone who wants to get out and share their love of mountain biking with their kid! There is just something about riding that kids seem to love and to be able to take it off-road is just amazing.
Tips For Riding?
Here are some tips we have found helpful while getting started with our new Shotgun seat.
Make Safety Gear a Habit
This one is pretty obvious, and we clearly failed this in one of our photos! Oops! But definitely make it a habit to always put on all safety gear no matter how short the ride. Little ones flourish with routine and if they know the drill they will be reminding you about the gear instead of fighting you as you try to tie their tiny shoe laces!
Keep it Short
We are only on ride #4, so we’ve been keeping things short and simple. Riding with a hitchhiker is tiring, and even things I would hit without blinking an eye became a whole new beast with my daughter along for the ride! So we plan out our ride with plenty of time for breaks and that has kept things fun and exciting for all.
Dropper Post All The Way!
The dropper post is a game changer for riding in general, but with the Shotgun seat I have found it even more essential. Since I am a small person, only 5’3” and ride a small frame bike, there isn’t much room between the Shotgun and my seat. So, in order to dismount, I need to lower my dropper because I wont fit between the two seats. My husband, who rides a bigger bike, hasn’t run into the same problem, but who doesn’t want a dropper post, right?
Handlebars for All
We haven’t actually ordered a second set of the handlebar accessory, but we definitely plan to! They are awesome and really help Penelope keep her hands on the bars and away from our levers. Our handlebars have different diameters, so switching the accessory bars between bikes involves removing/replacing the sizing insert sticker. (Not ideal). So rather than keep track of the stickers we plan to just get two accessory bars.
We’d Love to Hear From You!
What are your tips for mountain biking with your child? Please leave your tips in the comment and don’t forget to subscribe and follow trailridermama on Facebook and Instagram!
Mahalo!
Laura
Trail Rider Mama 