Start young, never stop! The Kids Ride Shotgun seat allows your little one to actively participate in your ride, while starting to learn the ropes safely in between the arms of Mum or Dad.
Ed from our Buying Team frequently uses his Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Seat & Handlebars with his adorable little girl, so kindly shared a few thoughts with us.
As a keen cyclist and now a father I felt it was my duty to get my daughter out on bike rides, to show her the great outdoors and see if I can get a smile on her face.
When my daughter was younger my wife and I used a few other child seats but a little after her 2nd birthday we had our first successful ride with the Kids Ride Shotgun Pro seat and handlebars, and what an awesome year it has been riding together!
Kids Ride Shotgun, a brand from New Zealand (so they know a thing or 2 about mountain biking), looked at the market of child seats and how to go mountain biking with them and thought they could do better. They certainly achieved this!
The seat and handlebars are quick and easy to take off the bike and put back on but also, it’s easy to set up out the box. When removed, all that is left on my bike is a headset spacer with a groove, but in about 2 minutes I can have the bike ready for my partner in crime.
The seat itself is very adjustable, forward and backwards, saddle angle, and with extendable stirrups for the inevitable growth spurts. No more 15kg weight hanging out over your back wheel – the weight distribution is much better than traditional seats. Your child is not strapped in as such but at the right age they will hold on. They’re also within a cage made by your arms. Parents know their child and when they’re ready – you will too.
My daughter proudly tells me which is her seat and which is mine and often shouts ‘faster, faster!’, especially when going up hills. Parenting is hard work!
Kids Ride Shotgun state the seat is suitable for children between 2 and 5 years old. There are many stories of people taking a younger child on their Kids Ride Shotgun seat but when we tried it at about 20 months old she was too distracted by dogs, trees and airplanes – pointing and announcing their presence. ‘Please hold onto the bars!’, fell on deaf ears. She would sometimes slip off to one side and even started climbing off mid ride. Way to young, I think. A few months later shortly after her 2nd birthday she sat there, held the bars and was in touch with her balance enough to lean from side to side as we rode round corners. After not too long I could also feel here pulling on the bars to turn!
There are no parenting points for getting your child out early, be patient and it’ll be a success when you do ride.
Some of the best riding this summer has been with my daughter, I can’t put into words how great it is to be out riding with her with both of us enjoying it so much.
We keep rides short, we’ve got a 4-mile loop around a local park and forest that works for us both – a few gravel paths, simple single track and then a playground at the end. She still calls out dogs and airplanes but keeps her hands in place and now when we need to go past walkers, she joins me in saying ‘excuse me’, often much to the delight of said walkers!
