Kids Ride Shotgun Pro Seat

The original Kids Ride Shotgun seat has been a smash hit among mountain bikers for several years now. Recently, the brand launched an all-new seat, expanding its product line with the Shotgun Pro seat. Mountain biking is an activity best shared and who better to rope into this two-wheeled lifestyle than your own child? Vital had a fresh test subject in the form of a two-year-old and jumped at the opportunity to test out the latest from Kids Ride Shotgun.

Highlights

• Attaches at the headtube and seatpost
• Quick-release goes off and on in less than a minute
• Adjustable footpeg length and width
• Adjustable fore and aft seat position
• Tool-free seat tilt adjustment
• Tool-free footpeg position adjustment
• Rated ages 2 to 5 years old (up to 60lb / 27kg)
• Includes fender
• Includes two head tube mounts
• Handlebar sold separately ($35)
• Weight: 4.2 pounds (1.9kg)
• MSRP $250 USD

Unlike the original Shotgun seat that clamped to the frame of the bike, the Shotgun Pro attaches at the headtube and seatpost. The bike frame is left untouched. Each of the mounting points is held in place by a quick-release lever, making removal and reinstallation very quick. The seat angle and position of the footpegs can be adjusted on the fly via two quick-release levers under the seat. To slide the seat fore and aft on the main beam, there are four Allen bolts that need to be loosened. Lastly, the legs for the pegs can be adjusted up/down and rotated out (for e-bike clearance) via Allen tools, all of which are included with the Shotgun Pro.

The Lineup and Initial Impressions

The Shotgun Pro is the latest addition to the Kids Ride Shotgun product family. As a brand, this is a team focused on the littlest riders. Shotgun acknowledges they aren't the only game in town but they do have their own take on the popular front-mount riding systems out there.

Our Shotgun Pro uses a seat that more resembles a traditional MTB saddle. It is cushioned and has a wide seat area for your little one to park it. The nose shape will let kids pinch the seat to keep from sliding back, as will the easily adjustable angle. With the footpegs being able to swing fore and aft in addition to getting longer, there's a broad range of adjustments to keep your kid comfortable. We also appreciate how the seat can move along the rails with the pegs attached. This really helps fine-tune the setup.

Riders will need some clearance beneath the stem to properly fit the Shotgun Pro and its attachment system. The security bolt sticks out a bit and will hit the stem unless there is about 10mm of clearance. Between that and the mounting spacer, riders will have about 20mm of space beneath their stem. It is nice that the kit comes with two spacers so that parents can have two different bikes ready to go and the Shotgun Pro may be easily swapped out.

Adjusting the Shotgun Pro to fit your kiddo is a little trial and error, at least for me as a first-timer. Getting the proper fit was a matter of doing some riding around the backyard and not only getting my son in a comfortable position but sorting out how we would both fit on the bike. The process was relatively quick and adjustments were made along the way to accommodate the ever-growing nature of a two-year-old.

Kids Ride Shotgun sells an accessory bar kit. We were provided a set for testing. Installation is rather simple, via two Allen bolts and a hinge mechanism. Riders not wanting to head out for a sick shred sesh with the crew with an extra set of bars can get these removed in a minute. Who knows though, maybe they'd made for a sick alternate riding position?

Once the initial fussing of setup is done, the Shotgun Pro goes off and on the bike in seconds. We never had an issue getting our seat on and off, it worked great every time.

On The Trail

As a nervous dad, desperately trying to be chill about having my kid just vibing out on the top tube of my bike, I started out in the backyard to see how my wriggly two-year-old would do. As I am learning with so much in parenthood, my kid took right to it and my nervousness was uncalled for. We did, however, start out with a little "frontloading" by having my son stand on my swingarm and grab the handlebars while I walked him about the yard. If nothing else, it gave me some confidence. Every kid is different and parents will need to be their own guide in this process.

Our first rides together started off by cruising the neighborhood and nearby construction sites to check out the excavators. By keeping the riding smooth and consistent both my son and I were building confidence in our new arrangement. Having your child's mass front and center is incredibly easy to manage and any intermediate rider will have the situation in check almost immediately. During our initial outings, my son did have to learn about not touching the cool levers on the bar, namely the front brake.

In the "every kid is different," mantra, my son went back and forth in using the Shotgun handlebars. His instincts were to have his hands wider and grab my bars. Sometimes he would go back and forth during rides. I removed the bars and he seemed happy with that but as we started riding for longer spells, my passenger would fatigue a bit prematurely. After putting the bars back on, he latched back on and they have remained since. Whether it is developmental or physiological, having "his bars," became a cool thing.

Getting into the dirt was made easier via our local trail center, Eagle Bike Park. It turns out that toddlers aren't super patient and just want to get to the downhills. Go figure. Being able to get to the top of the hill in a matter of minutes was a huge win and helped my son to understand more about this whole biking thing. I knew we had struck gold when after our first lap my ears were filled with the glorious request of, "AGAIN!" After that, it was game on. After about 45 minutes in the saddle, my kiddo is ready to play with some tractor toys and eat snacks. Sometimes we would head back out for more, other times we hit the pumptrack. Either way, there isn't anything else this kid will do for 45 minutes solid.

Perceived Weight

28 pounds doesn't seem like a lot of weight. It's lighter than most of our bikes, right? Ask any parent that's had to make breakfast one-armed and they'll tell you just how heavy that poundage really is. Toss it on your top tube, along with a 4.2-pound apparatus, and you have a recipe for some excellent strength training on your bike. Even the steepest punch uphill won't lift the front of your bike, just dig deep and keep churning the butter while your kid sings the Excavator Song. The nerd in me could not help but chuckle at how much more front-wheel grip I had on the descents to boot.

Things That Could Be Improved

Our only potential critique on the Shotgun Pro would come from the space needed beneath the stem. For some riders, 20+mm of spacers is a lot. We know one parent that was almost too shy on enough extra steerer tube to fit the system. Riders might be able to replace the larger bolt head, designed to be tightened by hand, with a lower profile one that takes a wrench. This might grant better clearance. For us, it was not an issue so we didn't feel compelled to explore it.

Long Term Durability

Weighing in at more than four pounds, the Shotgun pro is a burly piece of equipment. There is no doubt this thing will last until my son is too big to ride on my bike, whereupon I will confidently pass it along to another parent.

What's The Bottom Line?

We have nothing negative to say about the Shotgun Pro. This is a piece of equipment designed to make it easier to enjoy the outdoors with your kid. What is better than that? Even if you get to the trailhead and wind up playing trucks in the dirt, it will still be a great day on the bike. Kids Ride Shotgun has made a durable system that will last for years and is readily passed along or kept for the next kid.

Visit KidsRideShotgun.com for more details.

About The Reviewer

Brad Howell- Age: 42 // Years Riding: 27 // Height: 5'9" (1.75m) // Weight: 165-pounds (74.8kg)

Brad started mountain biking when a 2.25-inch tire was large, and despite having threads, bottom brackets sucked. Riding in the woods with friends eventually lead way to racing, trying to send it at the local gravel pits, and working in bike shops as a wrench to fix those bikes. Brad has been fortunate enough to have dug at six Rampages, attend some World Cups, work in the industry for a few years, and become friends with some of the sport's biggest talents. These days, he just likes riding his bike in the woods with friends.